The power of words

One of my neighbours is very much into family history research, and since retirement has been undertaking family history research on behalf of others as a hobby.  Of course, family history has become a significant interest for many people; the popularity of programmes such as "Who Do You Think You Are?" is perhaps evidence of this phenomenon.  In consultation with my sisters and brother I decided to ask my neighbour to undertake some research into our family tree (hopefully there won't be too many skeletons in the family cupboard!)

I will be fascinated to see what the research comes up with.  If I could travel back to visit my ancestors from, say, 200 years ago, and manage to bring them forward to the year 2015, they would witness things totally beyond their comprehension.  I should imagine that modern day society would seem to be a different world from what they were used to.  The changes during those 200 years have been vast.  In many ways, the 21st Century is probably a far better period in which to live.  Yet at the same time there are ways in which we humans behave as badly as ever.  Just look at the news on any day and there will be countless examples of the dreadful ways in which we human beings behave towards one another.

One element of this which has been on my mind recently has been the way in which the level of personal abuse flying around seems to have risen enormously.  This is often seen on social media; for some reason, many people seem to think that it's OK to verbally abuse others, sometimes in the most revolting and vile language.  We so often hear people in the public eye offering destructive and judgemental words to others; the world of politics is one area where this can be very apparent.  Sadly, the Church is not always innocent in this respect.  Yet the Bible makes it abundantly clear that the words which Christians speak should never be destructive.  Here are a few examples:

'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen'  Ephesians 4:29
'Let your conversation be always full of grace.'  Colossians 4:6
'Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.'  James 1:26
'Kind words are like honey - sweet to the taste and good for your health.'  Proverbs 16:24

I like this Mnemonic:

Before you speak, THINK…
T - is it True?
H - is it Helpful?
I - is it Inspiring?
N - is it Necessary?
K - is it Kind?

How much better our world would be if we took time to THINK before we spoke.  I confess that I don't always manage it, but I know I should.  Words have power to heal or to hurt; we should use them wisely.