Ben Franklin is credited with saying

A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over

There is not a person on this planet-never has been and never will be (except Jesus of course)-who has not said something they regret.  NOT. A. ONE.   We have all heard the little ditty “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words/names will never hurt me.”   Only thing I can say about that is what a bunch of malarkey!   We have all been on the receiving and giving end of stinging words, ill-times words, or malicious words.

Here is one way to look at it:

Creative words create. Destructive words crush.

Hurtful words tear down. Helpful words build up.

Toxic words poison.  Soothing words heal.

Faith-filled words bring life.  Faithless words bring death.

Here is another:

“Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise.” Pr.12:18 (MSG)

“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit-you choose.”  Pr.18:12 (MSG)

“Gentle words are a tree of life, a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”  Pr.15:4 (NLT)

“Gracious words are like honeycombs, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Pr.16:24 (ESV)

I’m sure you have noticed there are tons of people walking around wounded by the words of others.  Children who believe they are “in the way” or “unlovable” because someone told them so.  People walking around thinking they are ugly, ignorant, stupid, a fatso, etc all because someone used the power of devastating words to convey that.  And then the truth of the statement “Hurting people hurt people” begins its cycle.  Hurting people lash out to hurt someone else.  We cannot control what others say about us, but we can control what we believe.  We should take one view toward what others say about us- Truth or Trash.

It is time for a revolution!  It is time for a reconstruction!  “A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp. The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.”   Pr.10:31-32

As you can gather, my sermon in the series Danger: Toxic is on “Words.”  I’ll also be using James 3:1-12, which is one of the hardest hitting passages in the Bible about out words.  Thanks for your prayers.  I’ll also be showing this video.

How are you doing with your words these days? Let’s do all we can to build up not tear down.