Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24
I love words—reading them, writing them, teaching them, saying them. Words have power, and with them we bless or we curse.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire…
James 3:5b
I teach writing to junior high and high school students, and one thing I stress to them is just how powerful words can be—that we should always measure what we say to others, whether in person, in a letter or email, when using social media, or whatever the situation. We should always use our to encourage and build up—never to bully or tear down—because we can’t take them back. Like Thumper and our mothers taught us, “If we can’t say something nice, it’s better to say nothing at all.”
God’s words
Scripture tells us that God spoke the universe and all that is in it into existence! God’s words created us! God’s words are powerful!
He also has given some of that creative power to us; and as writers, we have a great responsibility to speak/write into people’s lives messages of grace and truth. But I’d take it a step further; we also have that responsibility as readers. Words are so powerful—what we write affects others and what we read affects us. How many times have you read something that stirred up emotion, made you angry or brought tears? The written word can bring out the best or the worst in our readers and in ourselves.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
These scriptures were given to us as guidance, and they stand just as strong now as they did when they were written.
Because we need reminders…
So my encouragement to you, gentle writer/reader, is to heed this wisdom, and give the world many more—and much needed—words of Truth.
