Toothpaste, Space, and Bad Words

These things all have something in common. Do you know what it is?

Have you ever squirted out too much toothpaste while brushing your teeth and didn't know what to do with it? Or maybe there was a lesson that someone wanted to teach you and they just squirted out the entire contents of the toothpaste tube out. Then they wanted you to try to put it all back into the tube.

That happened to me on a mission trip. The group I was in decided to cut the bottom of the toothpaste tube off and scoop all the toothpaste back in. What? They never said we couldn't do it that way. Some groups used a straw to suck up the toothpaste and shoot it into the tube. How ever you try, it's not really easy to get the toothpaste back into the tube if at all possible.

Did you know that once you say something, you can't take it back and basically it's somewhere floating in space? There's no sound in space. Space is like a vacuum. There's basically nothing out there, yet our words are likely floating out there somewhere even though we can't hear them again.

When we say bad things to people or just swear at things, for one it's hard to take those things back like putting toothpaste back into the tube after it's been dumped out, and two, you have the guilty conscience of knowing your words are likely floating around somewhere in space.

Jesus said, "I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37

So not only are the words floating out there in space, God is also keeping track and when judgment day comes, you'll have some explaining to do. God forgives though.

So why even get started with these hurtful bad words? I know I've had my problems with it. I think everyone struggles with it from time to time. It does happen and when it does, I think we all need to look to God and ask for His forgiveness. We should also go to the ones we have hurt and ask for their forgiveness.

I have a story about the toothpaste and that mission trip. I don't know if I was in a bad mood or what, but I had been mouthing off to this one adult (does that sound like the Chelsea you know?) on the trip, so then when she taught the lesson, I was even worse especially with my complaining. But then after the lesson, I understood things a little more and I apologized for saying the things I shouldn't have been saying in the first place.

So toothpaste, space, and bad words do have something in common. They're not something easily put back or taken back. Remember that the next time you go mouthing off to someone.