Friday 12/30
Prov. 26:22 “The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body.”
This Proverb warns us all that tales or gossip that are often passed on to others at the cost of deep inner pain to others. Unfortunately, fallen human nature lavishes undermining, hurtful gossip, and then we also have the tendency of passing those stories onto others, unthinking about the potential harm that they may wield on others.
But in time those tales come back to the ears of the person that they are about. Then these words cut deep into the very soul of the one that the tale is about. These delicacies of hurt & pain being passed onto others, one person to another, when they reach the intended party, they cut deep into the soul, of that many times innocent party.
This verse speaks to the level of cruelty that the person without a conscience brings to our world. It also reminds us of the importance that we share when we listen or more important when we pass onto others these cutting words.
I for one see the natural leaning of our culture towards harming others through words. It is best seen on social media, where things are said, and due to the fact that the content spoken isn’t witnessed in a visual manner, (see their face) the level of cruelty is doubly bitter.
We have heard of people being so hurt by these conversations, that the unspoken one decides to end their life due to the extent of harm these words, which are many times false or exaggerated, have brought on them.
Just think, our words can be calming, enlightening, and enriching, or they can be hurtful, vindictive, and demeaning. There are more than 30 instances in which we are warned of our use of words in Proverbs being either harmful or beneficial. We must be cautious of our selection of words that we say or more importantly pass onto others.
So Go With God for He will help us to temper our words.
I remember as a youth foolishly saying something that I saw sunk deep into another person, and the sick feeling I felt due to my words. I particularly remember one instance that I said in passing that hit my dads very heart.
Though he was not someone who outwardly cried, only rarely, the deep hurt that he showed on his face, even today after he has been gone many years, haunts me. In my heart I thought, oh, I wish I could take that back, erase it, remove its sound from the air, but I could only sorrow after what I said, apologize, castigate myself for having spoken those words.
As our will is surrendered to the Spirits leading we will see a tender concern in the words we speak, to be kinder, gentler, more enriching than undermining. Times of interspection will bring us to greater concern for the many people who our lives pass by.
Oh Father, cause our life, words, thoughts to be in unison with your love for others.