The double-edged sword.
“From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things, as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”
Proverbs 12:14-19
Tonight I read this passage and was immediately struck by how important our words are to who we are, and to how we glorify God through our lives. Our tongue is a sharp sword which can injure people greatly, but can also be used to build people up and encourage one another.
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” One thing that I struggle with in life is that sometimes it is better to listen to others than to talk to them. Sure, it is important to share our past experiences and to encourage one another, but sometimes people just want you to be there and to listen to them. It is better to hear what they have to say than to give bad advice!
“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” This is something that is often overlooked, and I myself had not given it much thought until tonight. Patience with our fellow imperfect humans goes a long way, and only a fool takes offense at everything that could be possibly misconstrued as insulting. We should be forgiving of the hasty, hurtful speech delivered by the people around us, because we all have said similar things before. Also, by ignoring the insult, it helps to launch a sort of peaceful “counter-attack.” Think of it like this, the person giving the insult gains all his satisfaction through your response. If you respond in anger and draw attention to the speaker, then you are falling into the trap that he set. God is telling us that we are to turn the other cheek and to not let the words affect us, which will end up completely disarming the attacker while showing him love. No one is perfect, and we should forgive one another, and not take insulting words to heart.
“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” Lying is something that enters my life far too often, and something that I am trying to remove completely every day. Deceit kills trust, and hinders our relationships with one another. Lies can creep into the life of even the strongest Christians, passing through the walls of a fortress by slipping under the crack in the door.
“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Far too often, I speak and then regret ever saying anything, a feeling I am sure you can all relate to. Words can hurt people more than any physical pain, and should be monitored closely. Words are our primary way of communicating our thoughts and emotions with one another, and should be used to heal one another rather than to wound.
Take this passage to heart, because it contains many lessons that all of us can learn. It is so easy to allow words to ruin a reputation, to damage a friendship, or to discourage someone. Your tongue is simply an instrument, ready to be used as you see fit. The choice is yours, will you encourage one another, or cause destruction?
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