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"Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit."
(Proverbs 18:21)
Mark Twain once wrote that he could get by for six months on one compliment. I wonder, conversely, how long it would take him to recover from a negative word. Words matter. I have yet to meet anyone who does not appreciate a kind word spoken to them or a positive, verbal affirmation. Whoever said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me," well, they were simply wrong. Words can build us up and break us down.
Andy Stanley, son of Pastor Charles Stanley, is a gifted pastor and communicator. He planted North Point Church in Atlanta, GA, and is also a prolific author. In his book Visionering he tells the true story of the deadly power of words and how one person literally killed his dream with his harsh words. While trying out for the junior high basketball team, Andy made it to the final round of cuts, and anyone who has competed in junior high knows that it is such a big deal! Stanley took a shot in a scrimmage, and he missed everything, the backboard, goal, and even the net. The coach put the curse of words on him by telling him that he was a loser. Stanley said he never picked up a basketball after that. His vision was crushed, and he was scarred by the harsh words of a coach. Stanley writes, "Our words have the power to point people in a direction, to set their life's course" (Stanley, Visioneering, p. 113).
Kent Hughes tells a story about a lady in an eastern country who spread gossip about her neighbor. But upon investigating further, she found out that the rumor was false. She went to a wise man in the community and asked what she should do. He told her to go and buy a chicken, have it killed, and on her way home, pluck the feathers of the bird and place them along the path. The woman did as she was told, and the next day, she told the wise man what she had done. Then she asked what she should do next. The wise man said, "Now, go and pick up the feathers." But when the lady went to gather them, she discovered that the wind had blown nearly all of them away. The wise man told her, "It does not take much to spread a false rumor, but you can never completely undo the wrong" (Hughes, The Church Afire, p. 293).
Let us take special care regarding the words we speak. The curse of words is no joke!
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