The fruit of our lips...

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

Proverbs 12:4

I remember hearing a story about a little girl who wanted to build a new dollhouse. Her father was going to help her, and they decided that they could use some of the wood from an old fence that he had taken down earlier that year.

The little girl was a little bothered by the old nail holes in the wood, but instead of offering to fill them, or let her know that when they were painted they might not show quite as much, he decided to use them as a teaching lesson.

He knew that sometimes she said things about others that was very unkind, and he was concerned that quite often, they weren’t even true things. So he told her that every unkind word we speak is a little like one of those nail holes.

Sometimes what we say can cause hurts in others that leave scars, not unlike the holes in the wood from the old fence. And once said, our words can’t be taken back. We can apologize, and we certainly should apologize, and even when we are forgiven, those hurtful things can be difficult to forget.

On the other side, saying good things that help others and encourage others to get through their struggles, and strengthen them on their Spiritual Journey, can do a world of good. In fact, the verse above indicates that what we say can bring as many rewards as what we do. Feeding those who are hungry, clothing the poor, visiting the sick, providing transportation to someone without a car, are all great things, and Scripture promises a reward for those who do them.

Our words will also bring spiritual rewards, if we use them wisely!