Watch Your Mouth

Please read Proverbs 15:4, “Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”   This reminds me of my wife; many times, we would have had terrible arguments but the moment I start to get a little loud my wife shuts down and either stops talking altogether or gently responds which defuses the conversation.  In close to forty-four years we have never had a big, drawn out fight.  It is only because my wife doesn’t need to have the last word, nor does she let her pride get in the way.  She doesn’t seem to have any pride or is able to control it very well.  I feel this way, the reason why most of the big, drawn out fights happen is because of the people’s pride that are involved.  It seems that pride can be a terrible motivator and hindrance to both parties in any kind of dispute or argument.  And believe me, I have seen my wife angry before we were married when she did get loud, but never at me.  I am ashamed to admit it, but she had every right many times to be angry and even throw me out.      

Now please read Proverbs 15:1-2, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,

But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”

Have you ever noticed when you keep your voice soft and low, it calms an opponent, or if you just try to avoid the argument altogether?  This isn’t 100 percent accurate because some people are not happy no matter what you say or do, but this is certainly a wise choice.  Let’s remember it is not only what we say, but our intentions behind what we say.  Sometimes we get so dogmatic about what we say, we bring the anger out in people and causes us not to use knowledge the way we should.  Remember we all have biases and all of us have blind spots.  

Having self-control over anger and harsh words is something that will help tremendously. I am not saying that these things are automatic responses and they are easy, but if we are believers and we love our neighbors and our enemies, we should do everything on our part to defuse arguments and problems.  I know I have said many things in the past that were true, but the way I said them was far too dogmatic, which caused a conflict which could have been said with a little more love and compassion and avoided the conflict. 

Now please read Proverbs 16:24, “Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”  

Negativity, or a very negative person, can destroy any good that can come out of a conversation.  There are people that claim to love others, but their words and attitudes tell a whole different story.  If we loved like we claim to, there would be a lot less arguments and problems.  Personally, I don’t think it is necessary to always tell people you love them because they will know it by our actions. There are people that are, you might say, starving for a kind answer, people that feel like they are ignored, and no one cares for them.  A kind word could make their day and put a big smile on their face.  We don’t always know what a person is facing or going through in their lives.  A smile and a kind word may be just what they need to hear right at the time you say it.  Let’s be honey spreaders, speaking kind words that are sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.    

Now please read Proverbs 18:4, “A person's words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”

Telling the truth is the way to set people free and is like life giving water.   But then, on the other hand, people say the truth hurts, and at times it does, but in the end the truth always wins, and if acted on correctly, will set a person free, plus you won’t have to remember what you said the next time you talk to that person.  

Now think about a person that is struggling with a circumstance or situation and they are just beside themselves trying to figure out what to do.  Then someone comes along with true wisdom and helps that person out, giving the answers to the dilemma, you might say it would be as refreshing as a bubbling brook to the person that was helped by the wisdom given.  Let’s seek wisdom from the Lord and be as refreshing as a bubbling brook.

I hope this has been encouraging and a blessing.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may all of you have a super day!! PS the Lord is worthy, please praise and thank Him!!