"The tongue has
the power of life and death . . . " That may sound a bit extreme, how could mere words kill anyone? Well you’ve probably heard of Karen Carpenter, the popular singer from the seventies who died the eighties, of heart failure. Most people know that her heart attack was caused by anorexia. Basically, she starved herself to death. But what started it all? According to a 1988 CBS television movie, the "Karen Carpenter Story," her fatal spiral began when a reviewer called her Richard’s "chubby sister". That little phrase started her on a tragic journey of self-destruction. Now, obviously, she was troubled to begin with. The author of that article didn’t cause her underlying psychological problems; he almost certainly had no intention of causing her harm. Nevertheless, those few words had a profound effect on her life.*We don’t always think about what
affect our words may have on people we speak to and that it may be the very
thing that affirms a wrong thought that person is thinking. We should remember
the words of Bernard Meltzer.
Before you speak ask
yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is it
necessary, is helpful.
If the answer is no, maybe what you are about
to say should be left unsaid.
Yes this is from me, the very epitome
of ‘foot in mouthism’. I do try to think about what I say to people, however my
friends are so used to my sarcasm that I am usually only sarcastic with people
I know fairly well, because they know I don’t mean it.
The problem here is that if my friend
is feeling a wee bit vulnerable that day, I could be causing even darker
thoughts. Too fine a line to be treading.
I often think of Proverb
16: 24 which says,
Gracious words are
a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
(I
had to look it up, I knew the words but not chapter and verse.)
We
all need to be mindful of what we say to others because it could be that very
day when our words could be like a loaded gun in the hands of a child.
I
am always trying to do better, not always succeeding unfortunately as a lot of
you know, but I will keep trying. Are we all aware of our words at all times?
We must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us with this, guarding our tongue in a
way that we cannot.
*Reference: USA Today, December 30, 1988, "Carpenter Story
sings a familiar refrain," by Matt Roush.
Prayer
Holy Spirit of God, we
come to You today to ask for Your help in guarding our tongues when we are
about to say something which may cause damage to another person. Help us not to
be responsible for causing pain in a brother or sister. You dwell within us as
our connection to The Father and so have the Father’s ear when we have need.
Please help us in our daily lives to live as examples to others of how God
wants us to live. Amen.
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