Words Bring Life

First of all, I want to start off with one of my favorite pictures that I've taken. This tree is right in front of Joshua House (where I live; it was taken last fall). I just love the contrast in the trees of fall: the red leaves on brown bark, the orange leaves, and here the yellow leaves. It's soooo sweet!

Now, to get to the heart of what I wanted to share: the terrible severity of words. I was reading just now in Proverbs and I came across a few verses that really gripped my heart tonight: Proverbs 12:16, "Fools quickly show they are upset, but the wise ignore insults"; and Proverbs 12:18, "Careless words stab like a sword, but wise words bring healing." Man, talk about content!

Let's look at the first verse, Proverbs 12:16. This verse shows that words are very powerful, but that the wise, basically, do not get caught up in what others say or think about them--for they know that God is the only person that really matters. I'm not saying that we shouldn't care about what people think about us, but really I am, haha. No one knows me like God, and if God would say the same thing about me, then let me repent! The second verse, then, offers some practical advice for speaking: "wise words bring healing."

 

This reminds me of Ephesians 4:29, "When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need--words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you." It goes on in verse 31 to say, "Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others." I don't think that shouting sometimes is wrong, but if you're shouting to harm someone else, watch out, God's Holy Word says not to. I also think literally about how words affect others. I mean, think about it, if you're speaking kindly to all around you, aren't they going to want to be around you more? And won't your dear influence charge them with a similar conviction of their words?

 

Most people that know me know that I'm careful with words; that is to say, that I take time to consider which words I use to explain/describe what I'm thinking, because I already have a hard time saying what I'm thinking. I find words very tricky, because they lack a very necessary substance that I feel would give them just the kick of conveyance that they need. It is very tempting to just say the first thing that comes to our minds when someone takes a big bite out of us, or when they're acting like a completely unintelligent person. I'm really struck by the power the Bible says words have, and I need to work on better understanding this more. Because until I do, I don't think that I can really appreciate the kind words I get, or really love speaking truly kindly to others.