Words Should Come With Love

There is such power in ones tongue. The words one speaks…determine who one is. If one says something, it's out of one's heart. Whatever is in their heart will eventually come out. William Shakespeare said, "He hath a heart as sound as a bell, and his tongue is the clapper; for what his heart thinks his tongue speaks." And the man who created electricity, Benjamin Franklin, tried to aide us with, "Better slip with foot than tongue."

One must stand in awe of the power a tongue holds. Such power that it can shape the world that surrounds it. It can create friendships and it can dissolve them. It discloses feelings, it holds things back, it stretches the truth and it kills. "One reason a dog is such a loveable creature is his tail wags instead of his tongue." We use our tongues to determine our world. It can build up and it can tear down. "The tongue like a sharp knife...Kills without drawing blood." Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta knew that words could bring one to tears or even cause one to die of a broken heart.

Even Hollywood understands the power of words we speak; Iris on the movie "The Holiday" said, "I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives." If we speak love towards others, it will alter our lives…for the better. "…you have kindness in your voice. I did not expect that," was said by Ivy when she escaped to find help on the movie "The Village." She did not expect to find a security guard who would be willing to help or that was kind. Due to her blindness she had to allow herself not to judge another person, but to be vulnerable and hope for the best. That is the problem; our expectations, or more so presumptions. One may presume how someone is before they even know them, but when the other person opens their mouth to speak a different person can be shown. Someone can walk in kindness and love yet look quite frightening and abrasive or even to seem pose a threat to you. Only when no other choice is available or fear governs does one embrace and widen oneself to another person without judgment and presumed ideas concerning the person.

"It does not always pay to have a golden tongue unless one has the ability to hold it," Paul Johnson said. If one can be mature enough to hold their tongue does that then mean they truly are mature? When one begins the process of holding their tongue it continues on to become a habit. This habit creates a much healthier world around them. "Before the tongue can speak, it must have lost the power to wound," was said by Peace Pilgrim. She knew one must hold their tongue and guard what they speak. If one speaks in flowery words and verbiage does that make one smarter or more educated? No. But when it becomes apart of who one is, one becomes more educated due to the knowledge that must be assimilated for those words to come out.

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'" John Greenleaf Whittier knew exactly what judging someone prematurely meant. It meant one might have been friends, one might have known some other person, one might have gotten a job, one might… But now it means one never will have been. Jose Billings said, "The best time for you to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust." Isn't it better to hold your tongue, take a walk and wait before you speak ill words? Is it not better for you to speak love and kindness; even if it is addressing something unjust, than to spew hatred, anger or words that may kill another person?

As someone who loves Jesus I believe that we should elucidate love and life more than those around us. We have a great responsibility to speak the words to build up, create life, inspire people in our world. If you can say one word of kindness over five of unkindness should you not do it? How could a man who sacrificed His life for others still forgive those who murdered Him? Should we not follow in His example as well? With His last breathe of life His words were forgiveness. As He die He still spoke words to give life to those around Him. Can we not give life with our words daily?