A few weeks ago, something on the interpipes got me a'thinkin'.


After being presented with flowers by a fan, Madonna was overheard on a "hot mic" complaining about how she loathed hydrangeas, a type of flower I never even knew existed.

(If you're that interested in the whole thing, you can see the dis here.)


After the UTTER SHOCK wore off (.015 seconds later) I went along my merry way and completely forgot about the whole thing.


But as I sit here, sharing some more random thoughts, I'm reminded of other incidents where people sitting in front of live mics or rolling cameras say or do really stupid stuff and then are blasted for it on all the news channels and gossip magazines.

Airplane pilots, actors and actresses, even Presidents past and present. No one, it seems, is immune.


Especially me. But more on that in a bit.


All of this reminds me of something Jesus Christ said.



"The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
(Matthew 12:35-37 ESV)


For the sake of context, allow me to explain that Christ's audience in this portion of scripture were very religious people, those described by Jesus as "white-washed tombs."


In other words, these guys were about appearances only. Their hearts, on the other hand, were just as broken and filthy as those they condemned.


Yet His warning to them is valid to everyone else as well: our words display our character. And while we may think that the words we say are private and unnoticed by others, that idea couldn't be further from the truth.


In fact, we are warned that all of our words, careless or otherwise, are known by God.


So imagine for a second that you are wearing a mic at all times. Imagine for a moment that a camera is following your every move, catching your every step.


This might seem a bit much, right? I mean, I certainly am not that important that people would want to see and hear everything I do or say, right? Why should my words be so critical?


They are important, and here's why: our words reveal our character.

As believers, our character should be focused and centered on Christ. And if our words and actions aren't reflecting Christ in a worthy manner, than something needs to be adjusted.

And I've been guilty of this. Lots.

Recently my wife scolded me, and with good reason, for behaving and talking in such a way that did NOT reflect Christ well.

I'll be the first to admit that I like to joke around and get some laughs when I'm in a group of people. This time, however, I crossed a line. And while the laughs were there, the reward was missing. This was an obvious sign to me that I had said things that weren't nice.

My mic was hot and I was caught.

Want to know the really "Art's a doofus" part? I'd thought of this post a few days before I goofed up.

You see? It's REALLY easy to forget that our words matter.

So as I pick myself up and repent, and as I dust myself off, I have a responsibility to be even more mindful of the words that come from my mouth.


Jesus prefaces his warning in Matthew by saying "the tree is known by its fruit."


I hope that my gaff helps remind all of you to be mindful of the fruit that's on display.


Be careful of the words you speak, because that mic is hot.


God bless!