Sweet to the Soul
How many times have you heard the expression, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”? I heard it a lot growing up. My mother was instructing me to speak kind words instead of biting, bitter, or harsh words, which happens to be a biblical principle.
The Bible says in Proverbs 16:24 KJV, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” and “A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up ang
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines grievous words as, “provoking, offensive, or irritating”; and soft words as, ” mild; gentle; not rough, rude, or irritating”. It’s important to pay attention to the words we speak, isn’t it? I know I need work in this area, how about you?
Maybe you don’t struggle with your speech and your speech is always kind and void of rudeness and/or offense. Perhaps, it’s others’ speech that you struggle with. Are you easily provoked, irritated, or offended by how people speak to you? If so, here’s a quick way to get rid of those negative emotions :
1. Ask yourself, “What am I thinking?”
2. Write down what you are thinking in one sentence.
3. Take note of the thought causing the provocation, irritation, or offense.
4. Admit you can’t control other people. (This will literally set you free!)
5. Bring the thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Understanding you can’t control what people say to or about you is good news. It allows you to channel all of that energy into controlling yourself. By bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, you’ll experience true peace. That, my friends, is sweet to the soul.
