Armed And Dangerous - The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional

Armed and Dangerous

Blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

James 3:10-12

Our culture encourages sharp tongues. Reality TV is filled with women who thrive on the clever verbal smackdown, whose entire relevance is based on their razor-sharp tongues. Snarky disdain and smugness have become a national pastime, and social media is filled with trolls and name calling.

Despite how much we try to resist them, these verbal habits can seep into our churches, into our families, and into our daily interactions with friends, coworkers, and strangers. With a sharp comment or a snarky observation, we expose fellow women in their moments of need, instead of extending them mercy and grace by refusing to participate in the sarcasm circus.

We wield tremendous power through our words. I know women who have mastered the fine art of death by a thousand verbal cuts, and I know women who speak the language of encouragement and hope and empowerment. We have the power to choose daily, hourly, and even moment by moment which woman we will be. Scripture tells us that we cannot choose both: our words will be either salty or refreshing, deadly or life giving.

Watching our words is a continuous process that takes intentionality. I failed in this area last week—and even as the words of complaint about that other woman left my mouth, I was wishing I could pull them back. I was frustrated, and this person had hurt my feelings. While my words weren’t vicious, they were enough to make me wince in regret and vow to do better.

We must be vigilant to guard our words and watch our tongues. If we aren’t careful, it is easy to use words as a deadly weapon, often against other women and against the people we love most.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Guard your tongue, letting nothing mean-spirited, snarky, or smug cross your lips.