“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (Proverbs 18:21 NLT)
This has long been my favorite verse and I’ve seen first hand the power of stewarding words. One of my favorite speakers says, “Words create worlds,” and I have found that to be true. What we speak becomes our reality. The last two years I’ve been going through a chronic illness and I was very careful in what I would say when people asked me about my condition. I’d say, “I’m healing from CIRS,” or “I’ve been diagnosed with Lyme disease,” instead of saying “I have Lyme disease,” or “I’m suffering from CIRS.” Those simple word changes shifted my perspective on the situation. Instead of owning a disease, I acknowledged the diagnosis but didn’t let it define me.
My friends and family will tell you that I’m always saying things like “Don’t speak that over yourself!” We have come to accept verbiage that contains what my friend Sandy calls lethal language. If something is really funny we say, “I’m dying!” Or “You’re killing me!” While it seems harmless, I encourage you to examine how often you’re saying phrases that have death associations. I was shocked when I started paying attention to how many sayings involve death!
We also tend to say things over ourselves when we make mistakes. “I’m such an idiot,” “I can’t do anything right,” “I’m going crazy.” None of these are true statements! Mistakes are part of being human, and we must learn to speak kindly and truthfully over ourselves. Next time you make a mistake try, “I made a mistake, but it’s ok, everyone makes mistakes and here’s what I can do to correct this one.”
I believe how we speak to ourselves and others matters, and we have the opportunity to speak life-giving statements or invite “death” through what we speak. While our words may not actually cause a death, they can certainly crush hope, cripple in fear, and cause stagnation that keeps us from growth.
Consider taking inventory of how you speak to yourself in your thoughts, and how you speak to your family members and friends. Are you speaking life-giving words? Let’s embark on a journey of paying attention to the words we say and lifting ourselves and one another up through our speech.
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