The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 Like most people, I become disillusioned when circumstances don’t turn out the way I’d hoped. I was feeling particularly low the other day when a project I’d been giving my all for was abruptly terminated. I’d sown time and finance into this venture, not to mention sweat and tears, only to have the rug pulled from under my feet. I felt abandoned and rejected. Was it all worth the effort?
Then I received an email from someone I respected. He has been in the same ministry that I am in yet he has many more years’ experience. He is very successful and well-known as a godly and anointed man of God. He explained to me that he’d had a similar experience when he started out. He had produced a successful program, but it was also prematurely terminated by the powers that be. Then he added, “I recorded a total of 15 episodes, and you have done 30! Therefore, you ended up recording 15 episodes more than me. Well done.”
In an instant my despair drained away. His simple words lifted my spirits and encouraged me to not give up. Words! Indeed, all my friend did was write one sentence, a sentence that transformed my mood and motivation. We greatly underestimate the power of our words, good or bad. It was once said, “Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well.”
Listen to what the Scriptures say about words (paraphrased): Evil words destroy one’s friends; wise discernment rescues the godly.
Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
In the book of James in the New Testament we read that the tongue is a little member of the body yet it boasts great things. James says that mankind has tamed many great wild beasts, but the human tongue is still rogue. As a small rudder can pilot a great oceangoing vessel so the small tongue can steer the course of a man’s life.
We are the Body of Christ. May the language of the Body of Christ bring life not death.