Our words have power.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me."
What a lie. Words do hurt, and they do impact someone either positively or negatively. You and I know this to be true all too well. If you're like me, then you have most likely had a person or a few people who have "spoken death" to you. What I mean by that is they say things to you that are mean, derogatory, hurtful, and just plain ugly to you. Moreover, you may have been that person to speak death into someone else's life.
And I must confess, I've been that person before.
Yes, all of us have moments when we feel like we're justified saying negative things to others because they've said or done something against us. But more often than not, however, such things are not justified and are uncalled for.
Our words can become a flame.
Our words have so much weight, that even the Bible talks about it. James, author of the book of James in the New Testament, says:
"5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell."
Friends, it is so important that we understand the magnitude in which our words can effect someone. In the verses above, James describes the tongue as being able to boast about great things yet, though it is small, can cause an immense amount of damage. Just as the flame of a lighter has the potential to burn down an entire forest, our words have the potential to wreak havoc on a person's life if we're not careful.
Words are still words, even if they're typed.
What we must not forget is that what we say online is the same as saying it in person. I believe the internet has desensitized us in such a way that when we say things online, we fail to consider or care about the potential repercussions that may occur. Because we are behind a computer or smartphone and not with the person face-to-face, we feel that we can say things that we wouldn't normally say in person. We're more likely to say demeaning, hurtful things on social media and not think twice about it. But friends please understand this:
The words we type online still have the same power to speak life or death to someone.
Why does it matter what we say?
It matters because you don't know what the other person is going through. You don't know if that smart-aleck comment you say could be the "straw that breaks the camel's back." While you may think you were "just kidding," to the other person you meant it. All of us have had days when we are just "done" with everyone, and the last thing we need is someone saying something mean to us.
My encouragement to you, friend, is, whenever possible, choose to speak life to someone. Genuinely encourage them, compliment them, and say nice and uplifting things about them. Obviously, none of us will be able to do this 100 percent of the time. However, we would do well to try as best we can to choose to speak life into someone's life. What we say matters because our words will affect someone either positively or negatively. What you say to someone could make or break someone's day.
Don't let your words become the flame that ignites a fire in someone's life. Rather, let your words be the water that provides life-giving nourishment.
As my mother always told me, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
Perhaps that's something all of us should consider.
