[299 words]
We have so many ways in which we use our words. We have the spoken word. We have the written word. We have the texted word. We have the emailed word. We have the posted word. Thank-fully, we have the Inspired Word!
James 1:19-20 is clear when it comes to how we are to respond to anyone in any given situation. “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Communication can be difficult at times. Let us remember, our transmissions during conversations can be uplifting or undermining!
Anytime we don’t choose our words wisely, we may allow ourselves to be drawn into conversations that do not produce positive outcomes. Angry words taste bitter for a long time. The song we sing by the same title gently reminds us to be careful in the first line: “Angry words, oh, let them never from the tongue unbridled slip; may the heart’s best impulse ever check them ere they soil the lip.”
While “communication” looks vastly different in terms of how we communicate (by phone, digitally), we must never let someone else choose how we respond. Jamy Bechler says “The minute you get personal or mean-spirited with your argument, you’ve lost. Too many arguments are based on emotion and not logic. In fact, there are too many arguments and not enough conversations.”
We are tempted to maybe say things we shouldn’t without first considering our thoughts. Let us follow the words of Jesus as He was tempted. “But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Allen Jones
South Green Street church of Christ
Glasgow, KY