It was my senior year of high school, and I was sitting in Ms. Nelson’s English class. She was handing back papers we’d written on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. As she made her way up and down the rows, she paused in front of my desk and squatted down so she could look at me at eye level. She handed back my paper and placed her hand on top of mine, and said, “You have tremendous potential as a writer.”
It was just seven words, but as far as I was concerned, the clouds had parted, and the halleluiah choir had sung. Since elementary school, I’d been scratching out stories, words, and phrases on every loose piece of paper I could find and after years of doodling, someone had noticed. In the years to come, I’d rehearse those words in my mind over and over during journalism school, rejection slips, disappointments, and too many false starts to count. Kind words from a teacher, parent, or friend can linger for decades. Sadly, harsh words linger too. That’s why wise people choose their words carefully. Solomon wrote:
“The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Prov. 16:23-24).
It’s astounding to realize that our words have the potential to bring healing. In the ancient world, honey was the sweetest substance available, and Solomon was intentional with his imagery.[1] Not only are kind words sweet to the soul, but they can have a healing effect on the body. Most of us expect anything medicinal to be bitter in taste and sweets to be harmful, but kind words are both sweet and life-giving.
The apostle Paul echoed Solomon’s words when he offered instruction on how Christians are supposed to speak: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29).
It’s easy for us to forget the impact our words have on other people. We have the potential to speak words that help or hurt, maim or heal. We need wisdom to choose our words wisely.
Thoughts to Ponder:
- How would those closest to you describe your speech?
- Whom do you know that could benefit from a kind word from you today?
[1] Max Anders, Holman Old Testament Commentary: Proverbs (Nashville, TN: Holman, 2010), 210.
