Proverbs 12:18
Sharp words cut like a sword, but words of wisdom heal.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
About a year ago, my husband and I went to the Historic Arkansas Museum in downtown Little Rock. One of the permanent exhibits there is a collection of knives and swords from around the world. Some are centuries old. I am not a big fan of swords, but the intricacy and detail presented in some of these specimens was truly amazing … particularly in light of their age and the methods that must have been employed to create them. Someone put a lot of time and energy into creating something meant to be used as a lethal weapon!
Conversely, many of us don’t spend much time and effort at all thinking about what we say to others, so our words are often painful, cutting, or even lethal, i.e. they destroy the heart and soul of the person who hears them. And we toss them out without any care for how they will affect the other person. Or maybe we do care … but not as we should. Sometimes, we mean for our words to be hurtful and “cut like a sword.”
Just recently, I received a message from a young woman to whom I had sent a note of sympathy and encouragement a few years ago when she miscarried. She told me…”The words were perfect and I still have it. I read it from time to time and cry every time. It brought me a lot of comfort.” Today, she and her husband are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I think I acknowledged the pain of their loss and assured her that God understood … and that their unborn baby would be waiting for them in heaven. The point is that whatever God laid on my heart to say to this young woman helped her to heal from her grief.
God gives us wisdom in many forms – through our own life experiences, through His word, through prayer, through study and fellowship with others. And we can prayerfully use this wisdom to help others in their struggles and even their daily living. God can use our words of wisdom to heal others. But words of wisdom do not come easily – they require as much time and energy as is needed for the craftsmanship of ancient swords.
We have a choice… lethal words that cut like a knife, or healing words filled with the wisdom of our Heavenly Father. From time to time, we all choose both. My prayer is that we devote the time and energy necessary to gain wisdom and cultivate a life filled with healing words … not those that hurt. Ask God to help you in this area. Let’s start to build up a community of believers who speak positive, healing, wise, faith-filled messages of hope and promise. Let’s leave the sharp words in the past and move ahead with care and kindness.
©2010 Debbie Robus
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