It’s refreshing to have social interactions with others. This is difficult to do in our world at the moment, but nothing can replace contact with another human being.
I’m sure you’ve used FaceTime and every possible social app to stay in touch with people over the last few months. Isolation is never good for anyone and it’s important to remember you’re not alone right now or ever.
It’s great to keep in touch with friends and family, but it is another thing altogether to gossip. “Getting caught up on the news” and telling someone “we need to pray for him” can sound good. It can also be gossip in disguise.
We often have good intentions in talking to someone about another who is going through a tough time. You want to pray for people and be there for them. However, spilling every last detail of their trials to another person is not necessary for you to be able to lift them up in prayer.
A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t want someone telling the details of your life that you’re going to share about theirs, you probably shouldn’t start or join in on the conversation. It’s the golden rule of “do unto others.”
Your words have the ability to cut someone down or to lift them up. When you lift your words to God in prayer, He has the ability to move in any situation and work everything for your good and His glory.
Allow the words you say to point people back to God instead of away from Him. There are many things that Christians say and do that aren’t Christ-like and isn’t that the opposite of being a Christ follower—learning to be more like Him?
We all sin and fall short so this isn’t meant to point fingers or else we’d all be pointing at each other. Thinking before you speak is important and we are all human and things sometimes just come out. But if something you want to say doesn’t line up with what Jesus would say, maybe you should rethink what comes out by being careful about what goes in.
Our words show the condition of our hearts. Broken and wounded as we are, God can heal the most shattered hearts. Allow Him to work on your heart and pray for Him to help guide your words.
Let your words be like honey—smooth and healthy for the soul. What have you been able to say to someone lately to help build them up and share Jesus in their life?
