Overflow

Proverbs 16:23 "A wise man's heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction."

I've heard many of my "older" friends talk about how their parents would wash their mouths out with soap if they used profanity or said harsh words to or about another. But I wonder if a mouth washing is what's really needed when we struggle with harsh, belittling, inappropriate words or profanity. Jesus said that the words we speak are simply an OVERFLOW of what's in our hearts (Matt. 12:34). So, it's really a cleansing of my heart that I need when I say the wrong things. If I'm having trouble with what I say it's symptomatic of a heart problem; therefore, I need to be very aware of WHAT and WHO I'm allowing to influence my heart. Since what I say is an overflow of my heart, I need to ensure that I'm putting the right things into my heart. And, if I really want to know the true condition of my heart, I just need to listen to the words coming out of my mouth.