As a child, I learned the proverb: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I suppose teaching that phrase to kids can help defuse fights on the playground! But, as I have learned as an adult, the saying isn’t entirely true. Proverbs 18:21 hits far closer to the mark in saying, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Injuries and physical ailments can heal, but words someone has said to you – for better or worse – can stay with you for a lifetime.
We live in a world where words are weaponised daily – from politicians trying to sweet-talk the public into voting for them, to media personalities seeking attention with sensational claims and hot takes, to the thoughtless things we say to each other. But the Bible tells us there is another way. Elsewhere in Proverbs, we see that “a gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). James advises us to be “quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19), while Paul encourages us to say “only what is helpful for building others up” (Ephesians 4:29).
But most important of all is not our words, but God’s. They are sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10), a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). God’s Word created the heavens and the earth, came to dwell with us as Jesus Christ, and remains with us even today by the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of what Jesus says (John 14:26) and helps us when we don’t know what to say (Luke 12:12, Romans 8:26). Let’s listen to the voice of the Spirit and speak words of life to one another and to the world!
James.