“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” — Proverbs 18:21
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Our words make a difference. Everything that comes out of our mouths — positive or negative — has the ability to affect ourselves and those around us. We have a choice to bless or to harm others based on what we say or don’t say. We can easily become frustrated and not tame our tongue, leading to words of discouragement.
When the game is on the line, the words we speak to our teammates matter. If you are up to bat, serve, kick or shoot free throws, what do you want your coach and teammates to be saying to you?
I’m sure we can all think of a time when we wish we could take back what we said to someone. It is easy to let our emotions get the best of us in the heat of a moment. We cannot tame the tongue on our own accord (James 3:8), but we can ask for God’s help, practice self-control and use words of encouragement. We can pray Psalm 141:3 over our words: “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Let’s use our voices to lift each other up, not tear each other down. Let’s build each other up, not break each other down. Let’s celebrate each other, not focus on the mistakes.
— Elizabeth Donnelly
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