“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear it.” (Ephesians 4:29 ESV)
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1 ESV)
“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” (Proverbs 16:24 ESV)
How many times has someone said something to you that hurt your feelings? How many times have you done the same thing to someone?
I think I can safely say we all have at one time or another. Our words have incredible power. They can build up and tear down. Words of peace, love and kindness can build up someone and make them feel good about themselves. But what about angry and harsh words? You may say you have thick skin and they bounce right off, but I guarantee you they don’t. Harsh or angry words can cut deep. They will stay with a person a very long time. They can make that person feel bad about themselves.
Think about it a minute. Say you have a teenager. The teen years are tough anyway. They are trying to figure life and what they want to do with that life after high school. Now imagine that teen, they have a hard home life. Maybe their parents are having money issues. They may have to wear hand me down clothes or shop at thrift stores. The more well to kids tease the less well to do kids, making their self esteem go down. Once that happens, grades start falling, the kid just doesn’t seem to care anymore.
But we have a Father who loves us. He never speaks bad or negative about us. He loves us for who are. He doesn’t care if we are short, tall, fat or skinny. The words he speaks are of love over us. Don’t you think we should be doing the same thing? Kind words don’t hurt like harsh and angry words. So let’s show a little kindness and love to each other. Give someone a smile. They may need one today.
Kathy Keller
