Sustenance #6—Well-considered Words

The wise heart will consider what it might say, and to its speech will add instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:23–24

No kidding—we don’t have to say the first thing that comes to mind! No one would be offended if we thought before we spoke. Wisely filtering our thoughts through a matrix of well-founded information will never be a cause for regret. Only the very cynical would wonder if we were pondering the best way to twist our response into a verbal bomb that slips easily into the mind and then explodes with innuendo and insinuation. Only the fool anticipates hearing something destructive. God usually gives us time to ponder a response before we utter it. He gives us time to think about the accuracy of our words. He gives us time to weigh the necessity of our words. He gives us time to think about how our words will affect our hearers. In fact, he wants us to think about how good our words will be for those who hear us, because their sense of well-being, and ours, depends in part on how we say what we say. To do this well, we must not only think about what we’ll say, but also about the people involved. If we practice seeing our hearers as people who bear God’s image, we’ll be more likely to speak with the respect, patience, honor, and concern they deserve. If we view ourselves as God’s representatives, we will speak more earnestly, graciously, and lovingly.

Lord, you have spoken well-chosen words to me. May I always speak in a way that would be pleasant to hear, words that are good for building up rather than tearing down.