I love words. Always have. I talked early. I talked a lot. Still do when I want to. I can definitely “talk your leg off” if I have time and connect with you at all. A deep conversation is one of my very favorite things.
I love a good quote or affirmation. I have books full of them. I have them on coffee mugs, t-shirts, and jewelry. When I was growing up I had as many good quotes plastered on my bedroom walls as I had posters of cute celebrity boys. Some things never change. Quotes can still be found on the walls of my house, though they are mostly in frames or on canvases and not on posters and tacked to a bulletin board with Snoopy pushpins.
Well-written books and stories, a speech or a sermon, lyrics of a song – these speak straight to my soul. My friend Beth is currently posting lyrics of a different hymn each day on social media. It’s giving me life because those lyrics are so powerful and set the tone for my whole day. (Keep it up, Beth.)
I, myself share good words of kindness and encouragement on social media each day. In fact, I’ve been doing that now daily for five years. That’s right, pretty much everyday for the last five years I’ve posted a positive, encouraging thought. At the time, I felt led by God (I still do) to just put more positive words in the world – especially in a place that feels more like the wild west of words. Name-calling, half-truths, keyboard duels, if you will, are all common place in those spaces. We typically wouldn’t say those things face to face but on social media platforms it seems to be a no holds barred free for all.
I simply feel led to push the other way. To share only good words. Consistently. My hope and belief are that those words are exactly what the Bible says good words are – healing, calming, life-preserving, honey for the soul, and bring joy.
Proverbs has long been my favorite book of the Bible, though it’s a bit like picking a favorite a child – sometimes it’s the one I’m with and sometimes it depends on the day. It’s no wonder that I so enjoy reading Proverbs. It’s exactly what I love, well-written nuggets of wisdom. Wisdom from the Lord is one of the central themes of the book. It also happens to be absolutely full of verses about the power of our words or holding our words in some cases.
A friend recently commented on one of my daily encouraging posts and said, “they bring joy” to her feed. As I had prayer time later that day God put that back on my heart. It’s the words. Words matter. The words can bring joy.
Proverbs 15:4 (NIV) says, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Later in verse 23, “A man finds joy in giving an apt reply – and how good is a timely word.”
Yes! Nothing gets me pumped more than a timely word.
We can easily look around the world today or on social media platforms in the palm of our hands and see just how the power of words is playing out in a negative fashion. Unlike so many other aspects of life, we can control our words. If you want to make a positive impact in your world and in your life, choose better words. You can crush a spirit, or you can bring joy, the choice is yours.
If you spend a little time reading in Proverbs, you’re going to see which choice reflects wisdom. As we read in 21:23, “He who guards his mouth, and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
Words inspire or words incite, build up or tear down, make or break, they cast doubt and fear or they sooth and calm. Words give joy and life, or they crush a spirit and destroy a soul. We find wisdom, not promises, in the book of Proverbs. Good words don’t keep us from facing struggles and hard times. Good words are not saving my soul. Good words don’t get us to Heaven. Only Jesus can do that. However, good words are great way to begin loving our neighbor and showing God’s love to the world.
