Amazing is the fact that one sentence, phrase, and even a word can stay with the recipient for hours, days, and a lifetime. A kind word can yield all kinds of good. An encouraging compliment will develop into an enjoyable and profitable career. The first “I love you” can be the seed of a home full of happy children. Truly the fruit of their lips a person enjoys good things.
The opposite is true. A cruel word can yield all kinds of violence and evil. A discouraging put-down will develop into low self-esteem and a lifetime of struggles. One “I hate you” is a heartbreak that can be the beginning of a divorce. Also true is that with the fruit of their lips lives a joyless person.
If the unfaithful have a craving for violence, shouldn’t I have a craving for kindness and gentleness? Some people engage others with the intent to say harsh words because they enjoy controlling others. So here is a secret they do not know; a more powerful way is to be like Jesus whose kind and uplifting words are as potent 2,000 years later as they were the day they were spoken. And Solomon’s proverbs inspired by the Holy Spirit have raised and fallen empires for 3,000 years.
