Words we say...

Lately, it's been on my mind a lot...thinking about the words that come out of my mouth.  The words we say.  The words we mean.  The words we don't mean.  The way other people perceive those words....maybe in the way we meant them and maybe in a completely different way that hurts them or makes them angry...that we didn't intend.  The words that are meant to hurt, aimed like an arrow to the heart.  Words...that  we should use to uplift, encourage, show respect...  Words can make such a difference.

I find that sometimes I can control what comes out of my mouth better than others.  You, too?  Does it ever amaze you how some people have such very good filters that they speak words that are uplifting and encouraging and leave the words that hurt and tear down unsaid?  I wish I was more like that!  Sometimes we make comments that seem small and unimportant, but to another person are huge and painful and have an impact we don't expect.  There are moments I wish I could just stuff a sock in my mouth...or pull back the words that just exploded out of it...or push a delete button and make them disappear forever...

Sometimes we use words on purpose to cause hurt, fear, anger.  Why?  We have let our emotions guide our tongues.

Psalm 64:3
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.

 

You might read that verse and think, "I never do that,"  but are you being honest with yourself?  I know I am guilty of "rehearsing" conversations...and not always nice ones.  Now, hopefully, I don't actually have those conversations out loud!!  Yikes! But sometimes, it's true...we go into a conversation bent on getting our point across...whether it's nice or not.  Our mouths full of deceit, half truths, accusations...the Bible warns us of how our tongues can be weapons.  Just go to Biblegateway.com and put the word "tongues" in the search box....it will give you a huge list of scriptures that point to this very thing....

Proverbs gives us this insight:

Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

I like the sound of that so much more.  So how do we control our tongue?  How do we make sure that the words we use are not meant to harm, deceive, anger, etc?  

 

James 3:9-12
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

We need help.  We need to ask God to help us control our tongue.  We need to stop, to think, to consider what words are coming out of our mouths before we say them.  To deliberately put a filter over our lips.  I may have to ask God to help me with this several times a day...to give me the right words to say...to help me hold in the wrong words.  The greatest assurance is that He will listen, He will help...we must be willing to go that extra step to seek Him first.  

Ephesians 4:29
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.