Title: Pleasant Words / Topic: How We Speak

Posting from our nation's capital, Washington DC, from May 22 through June 3.

Today's Reading: Proverbs 16; Proverbs 17; Proverbs 18; Romans 12

Scripture: Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Observation: Obscenities are everywhere. In our workplaces, our schools, on our radios and iPods, on TV, in the movies, spray painted on walls and trains, and, most sadly of all, in our own homes. How I long for pleasant words. Just the words pleasant words have a nice something about them. Pleasant words. We could use more.

Application: When this morning's wakeup call came in at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time (that's 3:00 a.m. Pacific Time), my lovely bride reminded me that I should get up and do my blog. My response to her was terse. "Leave me alone," I snapped. This was the opposite of pleasant words. (As I write, it is about 90 minutes past this exchange and we have patched things up, my having apologized and she having graciously forgiven.) I share this because I did not want to limit the discussion to obscene words only. There is much harsh and ugly communication that contains no obscene language. And it can wound just the same. Our culture is full of it. It is impossible to go through a day without having some hit you.

I ask you to join with me to be kind in your words today. Let us employ pleasant words: words of kindness, love, and healing. Let us fulfill the second commandment by loving others with our words.

Prayer: Lord, You are the Father of all of us. And we are all Your dear children. How it must hurt You to hear how we speak to one another. Help us to honor our heritage as Your children and those made in Your image and likeness. May we only speak to one another as You would, with love, respect, and care. Help us to promote healing, love, and wholeness with the words that proceed out of our lips.
This I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.