"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings
healing." Proverbs 12:18
What a passage. We have all spoken recklessly. Maybe our temper got shortened, maybe our buttons got pushed or we got really annoyed. We've all had that happen. The thing about words is that you can never put them back in. You can't take them back. Reckless words represent a dark part of our heart, and when we speak them, the person to whom we say them knows that dark part is there, and it is very difficult for them to look at us the same way again.
The tongue has so much power. Power to pierce -- power to heal. How are the people around you experiencing your words? Are they damaging? Are they nagging? Do they sound like fingernails on a chalkboard? Or...Are your words soothing? Are they healing? Do they bring comfort? I have found that we most often use reckless words with the people we say we love most. It makes no sense, but it's what we do. We take out bad days on those we love. When we do that, we are chipping away at that relationship. The right words do the opposite. They build that relationship. I think words can be reckless in two main ways:
- What we say. The words we use matter. Some words simply shouldn't be spoken. They are ugly and hurtful. No matter what you mean, there are some words or phrases that simply shouldn't come out of our mouths. They are reckless. They're different for different relationships, but we probably know when we've said something that is out of bounds.
- How we say it. Sometimes, simply the tone in our voice says something completely different than the words we speak. We should be careful about how we say things. Is it dripping with sarcasm? Is there a cynical tone? The truth is many folks want remember what we say, but they'll remember how they felt when we said it.
Let our words be healing and not reckless.
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