Every person you and I will talk to today is either in need of healing or on the brink of being broken.
Your teammates, the guys you coach, the parents in the booster club, the random person you see at the store.
How do I know? You and I are the same way, even when we don’t want to admit it.
We carry around hurts from life on and off the field, desperately seeking some way to alleviate the pain. Or, things are going well and we are just praying it stays that way.
And we each have within us the power to help or destroy the people on our team and in our lives.
Proverbs 15:4–“The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit.”
Words can heal. Encouragement spoken to the guy no one cares about. Thanks expressed to the coach who works his tail off, only to be continually criticized by the parents. Affirmation given to the guy whose efforts aren’t quite paying off yet.
Words can destroy. Ridicule that makes a player feel like his life is as worthless as his baseball ability. Anger that creates a fear of leadership. Backstabbing that proves people just can’t be trusted.
Remember, every person you and I talk to today is either in need of healing or on the brink of being broken. Our words might make the difference.
Also remember what James wrote…no one can tame the tongue. It takes a supernatural change in our hearts to change what leaves our mouths.
Lord Jesus, change my heart and then change my words. Show me how to give life through what I say. Amen.
