My husband works long hours, and when he comes home I have to physically bite my lip to stop me throwing all my saved up words at him! See, there’s a theory that women say more words than men, and that we have daily allotment and 24 hours with which to use them. I’m not sure that’s true – it’s just my words get used up making tractor noises, or patiently repeating the same thing over and over, like, get your brother’s feet out of your mouth. On slow days, I make small talk with the postman, or the old guy who lives on our road who is too frail to escape when he sees me coming…
But what about the power of words? I bet everyone remembers something mean said to them – words that cut deep, and may still, in fact, probably do still hurt. I can remember with the most awful feeling the things I have said that I wish I could undo, rewind, un-say. I go hot and cold at the memories. But no matter what I do, they cannot be undone.
What about using the power of my tongue for good? To build up, encourage, to speak peace. To risk letting God speak through me. I would love the people I love to look back on their lives and know that something I said to them, or more importantly, that God said through me, gave them confidence and made them walk a little taller.
In the bible, James talks about the tongue being as powerful as a rudder, a tiny part of a huge ship that can change the ship’s course by a subtle movement (James 3). He says that to control the tongue is to gain complete control over yourself. Wow. Could I do that? This week, even on the slow days, I’m going to try and follow James’ advice (James 1:19) and be quick to listen, slow to speak. Try to encourage and not criticize. Who knows – my husband may even get a chance to talk once in a while.
