The Power Of Our Words

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

“The first time I met Sara, I thought to myself, ‘She will be my friend,’” I said to a packed auditorium of women at a conference I was emceeing. I glanced over at Sara, whose session I was cohosting, and caught the stricken look on her face. Confused, I wondered if I’d said something wrong. She quickly recovered, and the rest of the session went off without a hitch.

“Why did you say that?” she asked after we’d finished and were once again backstage.

“What?” I asked.

“Why did you say you knew you wanted to be my friend?”

Confused, I tried to explain. “Because it was true. That’s really what I thought the first time I met you. Why?”

Tears filled her eyes. “You don’t understand,” she whispered, voice strained. “I was bullied for years as a kid. Nobody wanted to be my friend.”

We both wiped our eyes as I took a moment to respond. “First, I am so sorry that happened to you, and second, you just need to know, you’re the kind of person that when women meet you, they think, ‘I want to be her friend.’”

She smiled as I hugged her, affirming the gift she was to those around her.

I had no idea of the past pain my friend had experienced or how my words would hit that place in her heart that was still so tender to the harsh treatment she’d endured. But God knew, and I’m thankful that he used my words to soothe that hurt.

Our words matter. There is power in the things that we say. We don’t know how we might impact someone else. When we use our words wisely, they will soothe and give life to all around us, but the opposite is also true. A harsh tongue can crush the spirit. Let’s use what we say to soothe rather than to destroy.

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Use your words to soothe someone, and if you’ve spoken harshly, apologize.