What’s in our hearts influences what we say and our spoken words in turn influence the fruit we’ll bear in life.
Image © istockphoto.com
It’s well known that the fruit we take in through our mouths can be good for our health. Less prevalent is the idea that what we say – the fruit that comes out – can affect lives for good or ill.
There’s a proverb that goes: ‘From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things, as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.’¹ And Jesus revealed that man’s heart is the source of this fruit, teaching: ‘For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.’²
Back in the 90s, I handled the UK media work for one of the first national announcements of the health benefits of eating ‘5-a-day’ portions of fruit and veg. If I were to create a campaign today promoting 5 daily portions of spoken fruit, here are some memory joggers I’d recommend:
1. Gratitude fruit
A few moments taken to say thank you helps build relationships and co-operation. Several years ago a staff member told me how unusual it was for an employer to thank them for their work as they left for the evening. I know it made things easier when it came to asking them occasionally to start earlier to clear an urgent job.
2. Affirmation fruit
We may sing about not heeding ‘man’s empty praise.’ But we still need to give and receive wholehearted praise, as long as our main motive isn’t to pursue people’s plaudits. Being specific helps. Even better than “you did a good job,” is: “I appreciated the creativity and attention to detail you put into that design in the tight timescale.”
3. Response fruit
The ‘fruit of our fingertips’ also matters – what we ‘say’ through our various electronic devices. Fast response to email messages – even if you can’t give the full answer right away – is good fruit. Quick acknowledgment of twitter follows and mentions or LinkedIn endorsements also helps. Engage well with others and they’ll give your messages a better hearing.
4. Feedback fruit
Giving and receiving feedback well is an art in itself. Keys to giving constructive criticism include: a) exercise the first two fruits regularly, b) keep your cool, c) if possible, open and close with something positive, and d) don’t leave it so long that the matter festers or the feedback is untimely.
5. Declaration fruit
There is power in speaking out life by faith into your own and others’ situations. Igniting Hope Ministries offer some great examples of this kind of declaration.
Glasgow’s motto is in fact a Christian declaration inspired by its 6th Century founder, St Mungo:
Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of Thy word and the praising of Thy name
I came across a Glasgow church recently where the whole congregation speaks blessings together over the city during Sunday worship. Their declaration starts with Proverbs 11:11 – ‘By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted’ – and closes with the city motto.
Could ‘5-a-day’ become the new motto for speaking out good fruit? Then again, it’s the speaking from the heart and not the frequency that counts.
¹ Proverbs 12:14 NIV ² Luke 6:45b NIV
True Vine Time 