It can be difficult to find fun family activities on days where the weather is inclement and the children are restless. But one of our personal favorites is Cleaning Out the Church Refrigerators. Despite the sign that assures congregation members that the refrigerators are purged on a monthly basis, the expiration dates often suggest otherwise.

“Hey, the last time someone ate from this bloated can without an exponentially increased risk of botulism was before you were born!”

“Wow, this jar of mayo was from Trump’s FIRST administration! Historic!”

And my daughter relishes the opportunity to save churchgoers from potentially lethal bacteria while also mitigating any personal risk of boredom, so everyone wins!

But so often, I think we harbor feelings of resentment long after the “expiration date” that led to the perceived offense. And when we continue to drizzle our interactions with tainted condiments of bitterness and spite, it can make us spiritually sick…and it’s certainly not optimal.

Clean out your emotional fridge. Stop choking down curdled conversations and regurgitating expired infractions. And you’ll likely find your speech will be like honey, which never goes bad, and your words will be seasoned with grace

Matthew 18:15