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“Mind Your Words”
Proverbs 18:20-21 NLT
Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
I forget where I first heard this illustration and may not remember it verbatim, but I read a story about a grandfather who took his grandson up to a higher elevation and had a bag of feathers. He opened the bag of feathers and he and the boy watched them all blow every which way. He looked at the grandson and said, “Okay, now go find them all, pick them up and bring them back.” The grandson of course replied, “That’s going to be impossible, I won’t be able to find them all.” The grandfather then replied back, “Exactly! This is just like the words we say. Once they leave our lips, they are most likely gone and we can never get them back!”
I have remembered this story for many years as I consider the words that I use each and every day with my wife, kids, co-workers, boss, friends, church family and extended family. No matter who I come into contact with, I have to remember that my words need to be spoken with wisdom and not with hurt.
You’ve heard the phrase “Mind your manners”. Well, the same goes with our words. We definitely need to learn to be careful with the words we speak. There are many Scriptures dealing with the words we use and how we need to be wise in what we say and how we say what we do say.
I am so guilty of letting words fly from my mouth that I should never say. Sometimes it happens unintentionally and sometimes I get frustrated and feel I have the right to let them fly! No matter the situation, I need to let my words be wise. I tend to let my words fly when I’m in traffic and I have really annoying drivers around me! I’ve been working on my road rage for many years, but I still get very frustrated often at how people make dumb choices and have no common courtesy on the road. However, I need to remember that I have 2 girls who are watching my every move and learning from what I do and say. That’s HUGE to me! I blow it so often and need to remember that my words need to be wise and encouraging.
I encourage all of us from this day forward, to focus on using wise and encouraging words. As the saying goes, “If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all”. Let our words be wise and full of satisfaction to those who hear them!