I’m learning. Learning to wait…to stop…to think…to listen before I respond. I think the first time I realized the importance of a guarded tongue came on the day my cocker spaniel named Lawrence had been hit by a car. My family lived on a busy road and he had squeezed through the gate. As I carried him from the road, I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he’d been bad, to remind him if he had stayed in the backyard, he wouldn’t be in pain right now. As I placed him on the blanket my brother ran to get from the house, Lawrence lifted his head to whimper at me. I told him how much I loved him and what a really good dog he was. He licked my hand and less than a minute later, died.
Although I was only 14 when it happened, I knew how important my words were to him. I am sure, I would have regretted for the rest of my life if I had yelled at him in the last moments of his life. Instead, he heard my words of love.
We all have those moments when we can say something helpful or say something damaging – it is simply up to us. My husband carefully considers his words. At times it can be irritating because I’m waiting for some form of response; at other times, it is one of the characteristics I love the most about him.
Words have the ability to up-lift or tear-down. Words can bring truth or feed lies. Words can destroy a heart or fill it with love.
What are your words saying to those around you? Are they encouraging or discouraging to others?
Today, consider carefully how you speak to your children, your spouse, your co-workers, your parents, and your friends. Be a force for good. Choose to bring joy into the lives of those you encounter.
