March 10                                                      Exodus 5:  1-6:1; 1 Corinthians 14:  1-19

                                                                                                Mark 9:  30-41

 

 

Exodus 4:12  “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

 

Mark 9:39b  “No one who does miracles in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me.”

 

Corinthians 14:19b  “I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in tongue.”

 

 

Words matter. They can hurt or heal, comfort or inflict. Once spoken they cannot be taken back. Some have said the walls absorb them.

 

When I was looking for a house, I noticed that as I entered different homes vibes came from the walls. The home I eventually bought was very old and had the feeling of home coming from the walls. The rooms were dirty, the windows cracked, and in the case of the bathroom, no floor to speak of, BUT it had been a home where love had been spoken.

 

The words that were spoken soaked into the walls and floor. The words had feelings behind them. Those feelings accumulated over the 250 years and were there to greet anyone who ventured in the front door.

 

As we speak words, know that they influence others. Pick your words wisely. Ask the Lord to guide you in your speech patterns. He will make you eloquent when once you stuttered.

 

“Parents teach your children wisely” as one song says.  Heal and comfort with words. Instruct with love and patience.  Use a few words with understanding and hope.

 

 

 

~ Jane Straut