Session 20

Choose your words wisely

From Proverbs: A 31-Day Devotional

One night as a mother and daughter were doing their nightly routine before bed, the mom saw an opportunity for a quick, but important, lesson.

She took a brand new tube of toothpaste, handed it to her daughter, and asked her daughter to squeeze the entire tube out into the sink. Confused, but interested, the daughter did as she was asked. Once the tube was empty, the mother asked her to put all of it back in the tube.

“Our words are like that toothpaste,” the mother said. “Once released, our words cannot be put back in our mouths and forgotten.”

Proverbs 18 warns us of the consequences of using words carelessly. We can’t uncrush or un-offend someone, so we are to be wise about how we speak to others and value our relationships over the need to be right (Proverbs 18:14, Proverbs 18:19, and Proverbs 18:20-24).

Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you did and who you are, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” How we make people feel is a result of the words we say and how we say them.

Our words are powerful. They carry weight. So know what you believe and why you believe it, then articulate your faith in a way that is careful and intentional (Proverbs 18:1-7, Proverbs 18:13-17).

Reflect:

• Can you remember a time when you weren’t careful with your words? What could you have said differently in that situation?
• What are some examples of how the Lord directs us to use our words in Proverbs 18?