When Words Have to Be Eaten
Choosing Words Carefully
by Donna Fitzpatrick on Apr.29, 2009, under Learning to Hear, When Words Have to Be Eaten
Sitting on the porch on day—soaking in the sun and thinking of nothing in particular—I noticed a bee squirming in a puddle of water. I must admit I lacked compassion for him, since bees had stung my daughter Catherine twice in the last few days.
All of a sudden from under the porch a tiny frog, not much bigger than the bee, leaped upon the drowning insect. Mouth opened wide, he snapped up the bee for a quick easy dinner. You can just imagine what that angry bee did, and how quickly the frog spit him out! The wounded frog leaped away as fast as he could. I have no doubt the frog learned if he doesn’t want another stinger he’d better learn wisdom when choosing his next meal.
Just when the frog spewed the bee out of its mouth the Lord whispered into my heart this teaching: We need to learn wisdom when choosing our words because similar to the bee, in time they may harm us because: “Your souls aren’t harmed by what you eat, but by what you think and say!” (Mk. 7:15, 16, TLB). Just like the sting of a bee, our words are so powerful they too can sting, as this Scripture describes: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit” (Pro. 18:21, NKJV).
Harmful words will sting not only others, but our own souls, as well. Our words can minister death and destruction, but they can also give the sweetness of life. Maybe if the frog waited and followed the bee home, he could have exchanged the stinger for a mouth full of honey, since “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Pro. 16:24, NKJV). Well, maybe not . . . but if we could get wisdom when choosing our words, we would become much slower to speak. Ahh, but like that frog we all have difficulty waiting for the right moment to speak, and also in controlling our tongues.
(Excerpt from chapter 5 of “Learning to Hear the Whispers of God”)
Prayer:
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
—Psalm 19:14, NKJV
