Words of death or words of life?

Our words are powerful. Unfortunately, I forget this important truth sometimes. I came across a horrific story this morning which reiterates this truth. It's a story about a 13 year old girl who was literally killed by words (click here for the actual news story - it took place in 2007). She met a 16 year old guy named Josh through the Internet. They became close. Then, suddenly he turned against her. He told her she was a terrible person. He told her the world would be better off without her. Some others on the web-site joined in. 13 year old Megan then went and killed herself. That’s a tragedy. And then the sinister news - there was no 16 year-old boy - it was actually a 47 year old woman who was a neighbour - she sent the messages to this poor teenage girl. It’s an awful story, and it so clearly shows how dangerous words can be.

Words are incredibly powerful. They can devastate or they can delight. Proverbs 18:21 says: "The tongue has the power of life and death; those who love it will eat its fruit." Words of death are self-focused. They hurt people. They damage relationships. Words of life, on the other hand, nourish - that is, they help people grow. Words of life heal those who are hurting. Words of life can pull people back away from the path that leads to death. With our words we lead them to life.

I wish I could say that I always speak words of life, but I can't. I recognize that my words can be very hurtful at times and I don't like that. With God's help I am learning how powerful my words are for good and for bad. I am thankful that God can help me put a muffler on my mouth so that my words will bring life! How would you describe the words that you have spoken this past week? Have they been words of death or have they been words of life?