You Words- A Spark of Hope or Destruction?

~Royalynne Rose Miller

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how what we say affects those around us. I just want to point out a couple of verses.

Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.

James 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

James 3:4.Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6.The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

“Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” !!! It doesn’t take much to start a forest fire and it’s the same way with our words. It doesn’t take much to hurt someone. To break someone. Or even kill someone. What you say has so much more affect then most people understand! I work with children, I have all my life, and I’ve seen what words can do. It just takes a few encouraging words to set a spark for Christ in a child’s life likewise it doesn’t take much to break that same child down. Some people are strong and some are not but everyone, everyone is affected by words.

When my father was in high school he was told he should drop out because he would never amount to anything. – He went on to become a respected pastor and a missionary with American Missionary Fellowship and the father to 8 kids who adore him.

After a girl broke up with her boyfriend he began to tell her over and over that she had so many issues no one would ever want her but him – After being told over and over she began to believe him and for years after she dealt with feelings of regret and worthlessness.

There was a small girl playing Pictionary with her older sister and her friends, after the round was over and she hadn’t been able to get anyone to guess right a girl on her team told her that she would make a horrible artist and would fail if she ever tried..not knowing that that was all the girls hopes and dreams – she spent the rest of the evening crying her eyes out.

Those are just three examples and I could give you so many more… with good turn outs and bad. What you say affects people. No one can stress that enough! Your tongue is like a fire – it can be used to warm someone or to burn them. Almost every school shooting, suicide or life of crime started with a small word. There are jokes and then there is harshness, and a lot of the time people get those mixed up.

So next time, before you open your mouth, think about how the words will affect the person you’re talking too. You wouldn’t hold a lit match to someone’s skin, would you? Remember your words can either burn or warm someone. Which will you choose?