NEGATIVE WORDS

Story…
A young woman confessed to an older man that she had a problem
saying too much about people. He told her to go buy a bird and
pluck out its feathers one by one as penance for her sin. When
she returned and told the man that she had followed his
instructions, he said, “Now go back and pick up all the
feathers.” “I can’t do that,” said the girl. “The wind has blown
them in all directions.” “That is true,” said the wise man.
“Neither can you recall the words that you have spoken.” Need an
additional picture of how impossible it is to take back something
once you’ve said it? Squeeze a tube of toothpaste and then try to
put the toothpaste back in. It’s nearly impossible to do. And
it’s the same with our negative words once they’ve found their
way out of our mouths.

Verse…
”The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue
crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4)

Point…
Think before you speak. Always be sincere when giving encouraging
words (Your words won’t go far if your actions don’t back them
up). Remember, encouragement and advice are not the same thing.
And try this: be your best encourager. As the verse says,
perverse (or cutting) words crush the spirit. Are you crushing
yourself with self-hatred? When you feel discouraged, hand that
discouragement over to God. Ask Him to help you. Stop wounding
and maiming yourself and others. Words cannot be recaptured once
they’ve escaped our lips. Fortunately, the same goes for kind
words, too. Ask God for help and try again. By His grace, your
words will become “a tree of life.”