“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”

The word soothing is a beautiful description of what God ultimately brings to our spirit. In a world that seems determined to crush our spirits at every opportunity, we need more soothing voices speaking into our journey. Soothing does not mean untruthful. Truth spoken in love, no matter how difficult it may be to hear, ultimately brings a calming and encouraging impact. The word soothing means “that gentle, kind, and encouraging speech which brings healing, wisdom, and life-giving comfort to others, acting as a source of strength.” Who doesn’t want more of those voices in their life? My good friend Pastor Mark Jackson has built his entire ministry around Paul’s direction to only speak what is true and profitable into others’ lives. He emphasizes that we are to avoid all unwholesome talk. It is a life-giving way to live. Speaking life into others is not just right, but it is truly supernatural. Humans are the only living creatures with the ability to change another living creature by what and how we speak to each other. God’s Word, especially the portion written by Solomon, speaks a lot about how we talk to one another. Today, speak life. #BeTheEdge

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 NIV