Our Words

Have you ever said something that you wished immediately you could take back?  That has definitely happened to me. In fact it happened just recently.  It was one of those moments that seemed to get away from me and before I knew it. Then there I was wishing I had chosen to bite my tongue instead of speak. Instead words came out that I could never take back, and I was filled with regret wishing I had held my tongue all the while looking into the sad little eyes of my daughter who had received my ill spoken words.

I know I'm not alone, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I really despise those moments of regret.....don't you?  Proverbs 18:21 says "The tongue has the power of life and death,...."  The power of life and death.....that is pretty serious.  We don't always think about the gravity of our words as we should. If we truly understood this verse, I believe we would be more careful with our words.

You don't have to be a mother to have experienced a moment like this. You could be a father, daughter, son, sibling, employer, or employee, whatever stage you are in you could find yourself in a situation requiring you to hold your tongue. The important this is what you do when you are faced with the situation.  Matthew 12:36 says, "But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken." Believe me, it is best to hold your tongue!

The old adage, "Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you" isn't necessarily true. Negative words do hurt. If you don't believe me then think back a little bit. It probably won't take you too long to remember a time when ill spoken words impacted your life. Just as we have all been on the receiving end negative words, we have more than likely also been the one dishing them out!  Take a moment and think about the words of Proverbs 18:21 from above.

Since we hold the power of life in our tongue, we should speak words of life more often. Don't you agree that there is nothing that puts a smile on your face faster than a kind word! You can be going through the biggest struggle of your life and then someone says the most simple yet sincere thing and it changes everything. Words of life bring joy, peace, and encouragement to the people who you're speaking to. When God designed us, He did it specifically. It is no accident that we hold the power of life and death in our tongues. We each have a circle of influence that we impact with our words, we can choose to speak life or death. Even though we were created with a free will, God wants us to speak life!!  

So don't miss an opportunity to speak words of life to those around you!