By Gordon Creamer
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
(Matt 12:34, NRSVUE)
In this current age of multifaceted communication formats, how and what we speak is beyond crucial. In fact, it seems that the how has come to take precedence over the actual content of our expressions. Often as a global community, and certainly in America, this has led to increasing confusion, disillusionment, and injurious harm of one another. And, as ever-widening division continues its path of destruction within multiple societal landscapes, humanity is left to grapple with the bewildering impact of this all.
In the midst of feeling powerless and besieged by uncertainty, we can return to the words of Jesus to become grounded once again in divine truth and wisdom. In contemplating his teachings, our trust in what is authentically true can be renewed and restored.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus addresses this very situation with sagacious and pragmatic words. He proclaims that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.” (12:34-35).
I invite you to pause for a few moments to consider what these words might mean for you and your spiritual life…
Do they resonate for you personally?…
Are they challenging?…
What deeper significance might they have for what you carry in your heart these days?…
Notice and be present to what arises within you as you have or continue to journey further with these questions. . .
The religious tradition of Jesus includes various spiritual practices that embody clarity of heart and its manifestation in thought and speech. By engaging in kavanah (“to aim the heart “) and shekinah (“to dwell,” as in God’s indwelling presence), Jesus harnessed his awareness of being in God’s deep Presence into abundance. This was apparent as he spoke in parables, prophesied about God’s kingdom, and communicated his Father’s tender mercy in countless, incarnational ways. These spiritual practices informed and guided what Jesus said and how he made truth known in the world.
There is also inspirational wisdom available to us for consideration and integration from Eastern spiritual traditions. If you are someone who practices yoga, then you may already be aware of this connection. Within Hinduism and Buddhism, human beings can understand themselves through the network of energy centers in their bodies called chakras. In particular, the throat chakra is identified with one’s personal identity, self-expression, and voicing of truth. For millennia, human beings have been striving to communicate with wholeness, freedom, and confidence from this sacred place within themselves by tapping into this powerful energy.
This knowledge offers us an invitation to look more intently at what abundance we have in our hearts these days. What does it consist of and do we recognize it in the ways we hear, listen, and use our mouths?
As we encounter Jesus in the Gospels, may we also gaze upon the diverse ways he embodied God’s truth and shared it with others. Behold how he listened to those who were suffering and how he spoke from his heart to each and every person in his midst. Each time that abundance revealed God’s way.
Because we are created in the image and likeness of God, we, too, are capable of living and expressing ourselves incarnationally as Jesus does.
Well then, what abundance are we telling the world we have inside of us?
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Looking to hear more from Gordon Creamer? Check out the link below for an upcoming retreat he will be presenting:
Jesus and the Chakras: Exploring Ancient Wisdom, Living Incarnationally On August 21, 2026 at 4:00 pm – August 24 at 11:30 am.