Pleasant Words are as an Honeycomb

Have you ever said something to someone and then wished the ground would just open up and swallow you? What your brain seemed to be saying was not quite what came out of your mouth. And of course when the words are spoken you can't exactly take them back. We all have had that to happen at some point.

Pleasant Words are as an Honeycomb

I remember when I first became a Christian, a friend remarked that she was a Christian too and instead of just listening to what she had to say about Christianity, I just looked stunned and said "you a Christian, don't make me laugh".

Now as soon as those words were out of my mouth I just wanted the ground to open up, I wanted to hide, put a bag over my head, or cover my eyes in the hopes that I would become invisible and that no one would notice what I had just said. But of course the ground didn't open up, I couldn't hide and neither a bag over the head or covering ones eyes makes you invisible (although my grandchildren seem to think this works).

Oh my, it caused a lot of hurt and the Lord taught me a valuable lesson that day - not only to keep my mouth shut but not to judge.

There are many verses in the Bible that talk about being careful about what we say or about judging another person and of course there's a whole host of verses about the taming of the tongue, in the book of James especially, and in Proverbs 18:21 it says Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

But then we have one of my most favourite verses in the bible Pleasant words are as an honeycomb sweet to the soul and health to the bones (Prov 16:24) and this is a constant reminder to me to think about what I am going to say.

The words I had spoken to my friend that day could have done untold damage but thankfully the Lord undertook, but I don't ever want to say something like that to a person again.

I don't want my words to be hurtful to someone, to make them feel sad or angry or to perhaps think 'who does she think she is'. Words that can't be spoken sweetly should perhaps not be spoken at all. Not only will the hearer feel hurt but I won't be feeling very good about what I've said either, if I've caused someone to be upset.

I want my words to reflect the one who saved me, to reflect his light and his life in me. I want to speak words that will be as sweet to the soul as the honeycomb and words that will lift a person not bring them down.

May all of our words be the ones of Prov 16:24 - Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones.

Isn't the Lord so good he knows that if we say nice things whether it be about people or other things that go on around us it does something to us, we are happier people. It's like that poem that talks about giving someone else one of your a smiles because it costs nothing.


~JEAN