Choice Words

“Keep your words sweet, you never know when you’ll have to eat them.” That was quoted by my youth pastor’s wife. I believe she was quoting her Mom. What good words, right?

Once words have escaped your lips, there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s out there; you cannot rewind time. The only thing you can do about words, is cover it up with more words. Like, “I’m sorry” or “I take it back” but does it really take it back?

I heard once that words continually travel, like Abraham Lincoln’s speeches are out floating in space somewhere. I don’t know how true that is, but let’s say it is.

What if words never stopped?

I am a senior in high school and I know more than anything that words don’t stop. Every syllable the escapes my or someone else’s lips might be used against you one day, and what can you do? Nothing.

Remember that old quote?

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

It was always said that this wasn’t true. I am on the fence with the issue because words used to affect me greatly. In elementary school, boys used to call me ugly and soon enough I started joining them. I called myself ugly and as acne consumed my face as a preteen I wasn’t anymore convinced otherwise. I was bitter and hardly ever smiled. WORDS. Those words still effect me, I still look back on old pictures and say “boy was I ugly.” :(

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Thoughts before words. It can make you or break you. If you think too much, words might be said that don’t make you genuine, but fake. I personally dealt with this, I would think so much about what I’d say next that I never said anything I’d normally say had I not thought it through. So I began to think less before I talked. Soon enough, people would say I said things I never thought I said because I didn’t think before I spoke.

These days, words don’t effect me directly anymore. The issue now, is my words. I sometimes am not careful what I let others hear and sometimes I find myself giving more information to people-more than they want. If there is no truth in the words of others, I don’t let them bother me.

Not everyone thinks that way, though. Not everyone dismisses irrelevant or false opinions simply because they’re false. Some people still take those things seriously, true or not.

For example: Someone called me ugly about 3 weeks ago. Did it effect me? No. I know I’m not ugly.

On a spiritual level. We need to watch what we say. As a Christian I have let cuss words escape my mouth and that does so much for a reputation; it makes someone claiming to love Jesus a phony. I did that with my words. Not cool :/

Furthermore, gossip can harm you or someone else because it almost always comes back to you. In Proverbs 26:20 it says Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. 

If the Bible says it, it must be true right? :)

Words are so powerful.

My advice: To you AND myself. Is to keep a mouth shut. I have been working on it lately and it’s saved me from not only problems, but it has kept me from looking like an idiot a few times ;-)

I haven’t totally, 100% avoided problems because I have found myself talking more than I should. But the first step to changing is admitting you have a problem, right?