Words. Can’t live with some and can’t live without most. What do I mean by that? We use words to communicate our thoughts, feelings, ideas, dreams, concerns, etc. through speaking and writing. Therefore, we can’t live without them because it would be a very lonely world where nobody would know anything about anybody else. Which leads me to the can’t live with some.
There are words I should live without and words I wish I’d never shared. Words I can live without are the ones that focus on negative things about others, which are typically the ones that should never be shared. Sometimes when I’m struggling with something myself, I tend to notice only negative things about others. I guess I thought it would make me feel better. That feeling doesn’t last long because I soon realize I’m focusing on the wrong thing. Rather than trying to help myself through the situation to a positive end, I bring other people down to my level. Most of the time I don’t know a person well enough to make a determination on his/her life. So my observations are not only negative but usually wrong.
Proverbs 18:21 says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. (NASB). Words won’t physically cause someone’s death. What happens on the inside of them is where the real damage is done. Every time someone hears a word about him or herself, it creates a reaction on the inside. Most people believe what others say about them. Positive words help people gain confidence and make them feel better about themselves. Negative words take a piece of a person every time they are spoken. Sharing negative words about people with others gives the wrong perspective. You may briefly feel better unloading your negative feelings, but then reality sets in and so does guilt. Then you just feel bad again. The cycle never stops. So words are death and life for the people you are speaking about and for yourself.
I will survive if I choose to use words carelessly. However, I can thrive if I choose my words carefully!
Nae's Notes 