WORDS

John Clardy

Proverbs 15:4  Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit.

I sang a new song in church yesterday.  It is entitled “Words” and was originally written and recorded the group Heirline. A good friend gave methis soundtrack to me and suggested that I learn it.  It is a song with great words and great meaning. Here are the words of the verses and chorus.

Verse 1     

In a hundred different languages they convey the thoughts of man.

They can forge a bond as strong as steel or break that golden band.

They can disappear with one small wave when written in the sand,

Or endure ten thousand years engraved by God’s own hand.

Verse 2                       

Mightier than tempered swords as they flow from the quill,

With every stroke the letters formed breathe life or they kill.

With icy lips and tongues of fire we burn or bring a chill.

When the truth is told, the rule is gold and universal still.

Chorus       

Words, Oh their power is real

They can hurt or they can heal

Can’t be touched but you can feel

Words – there is strength in everyone,

And when all is said and done,

Wars are lost and battles won ---With Words!

Jesus said that it is not what goes into the mouths of men that defile them but it is what comes out of their mouths.  James said that the tongue, though a little member has the power of life and death in it.  It can edify or defile the whole body.  As the song says, words can hurt or heal.  They can forge strong bonds or destroy families and friendships. 

We need to realize that what we say has consequences.  Some of them are eternal.  Kind words bring life but cruel words kill and crush peoples’ spirits.

Years ago, someone gave me a book entitled "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum. The following story is from a chapter from the book that I have never forgotten.

In the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific some villagers practice a unique form of logging. If a tree is too large to be felled with an ax, the natives cut it down by yelling at it. Woodsmen with special powers creep up on a tree just at dawn and suddenly scream at it at the top of their lungs. They continue this for thirty days. The tree dies and falls over. The theory is that the hollering kills the spirit of the tree. According to the villagers, it always works

The Solomon Islanders may have a point. Yelling at living things does tend to kill the spirit in them. It's hard to believe, but I feel there is a lot of truth in it. Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.

Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.  That phrase has clipped itself to my brain and will not go away.  It always seems to come up at the most inconvenient times, namely when I have or I am about to say something unkind.  But, if we would stop and think before we speak to those that we love, maybe there would be a lot less need for eating our words. 

It would serve us well to remember to speak to people as we would like to be spoken too. You never know how much a kind word may mean to someone, or when you will need a kind word spoken to you.