Don Imus' Mouth

Don Imus, host of a nationally syndicated radio show, made the news this weekend because of his mouth. He called the Rutgers Women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." His rational for this hateful comment was that he was trying to be funny. He will be going on the repentance tour this week to prove that he is not a racist, much like the string of celebrities who have entered rehab as of late because they let something racially distateful out of their mouths.

Don should apologize and demonstrate his repentance with actions. However, what caught my attention with this story was the way in which he tried to seperate his words from his heart. He said, "I'm not a bad person. I'm a good person, but I said a bad thing." Is it possible to say something hurtful occasionally when you are on a path of transformation? Sure. But Don has made a career with his caustic mouth. And now, he says that the things that he says do not reflect who he really is. Really?

Jesus said the opposite was true. "The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matthew 15:18-19) Reality is that what comes out of our mouths comes from our heart - even in jest. We are fooling no one when we say that our words do not reflect our heart. So if we are speaking hurtful words to others, then we need to take a good hard look at our own heart - stop trying to justify ourselves and own up to the transformation that needs to take place in our lives. Otherwise, we will find ourselves in the same place as Don Imus and his mouth.