Watching My Words
By Lara Sadowski
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. Proverbs 21:23 (NASB)
Words can be as sweet and soothing as a cup of tea on a chilly afternoon, or they can be as painful as a punch in the stomach. I know. I have been on the receiving end of painful speech, and I admit that I have been the instigator as well.
I have always been very mindful of people’s feelings; however, that fateful day, I was anything but kind. Thankfully, the friend I hurt deeply is still one of my dearest friends to this day, but it was not the way for a long time. She took a great deal of time to forgive me, and I am so grateful that she did.
Let me give you a little snapshot of what happened. That particular day, she irritated me a little bit, and I cannot remember why, but I was slightly put off by her. So what did I do? I emailed some of our other friends and unloaded on them about her. I was brutal and said some very mean things.
Unbeknownst to me, I accidentally included her on that email. Ouch. She immediately called me and let me have it. She was hurt and wondered if she could ever be my friend again. I deserved every bit of her rebuke. I was mortified.
Instead of going back to my other friends to complain and moan, I got on my knees. I begged The Lord to forgive me and restore me, and He did.
But He did something else, too. He convicted me to go to my friend and sincerely apologize for hurting her. Oh, how I did not want to do that because I detest conflict, but I knew in my heart I had to do it. So I called her and had a very difficult conversation.
She was angry and hurt and rightfully so. We did not get together for a period of time. I sent her a note, reiterating how sorry I was for hurting her. Time passed, and she eventually forgave me, but it took quite a while.
Oh, friends, I cannot tell you in words how wonderful I felt, receiving her forgiveness and friendship once again.
God knows what a powerful weapon our tongues are – that’s why there are verses all through the Old and New Testaments, telling us to guard our mouths and words.
But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. James 3:8 (NASB)
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 (NASB)
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24 (NASB)
Sisters, do any of you struggle with your words? You are not alone if you do. We all have said things or written things that we wish we had not.
We worship a God who loves us and wants us to glorify Him in everything we do and say, so before we open our mouths or write that 140-character tweet, let’s ask Him to speak through us.
He is ready and willing to make us more like Him because He loves us that much. Let’s go out into this world together and spread joy – we can do it!
What an awesome God we serve!
The book of Proverbs is filled with God’s wisdom on so many subjects, including the power of our tongue and our words. Try reading a chapter of Proverbs each day and ask God to fill you with His wisdom.
Heavenly Father, words can be a balm to our souls or a knife through our hearts. Please help us to choose our words wisely and ask You daily to speak through us. We only want to encourage others – not discourage others. We love you so dearly and thank you for loving us so richly! … In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
© 2017 by Lara Sadowski. All rights reserved.
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