Gracious Words

Posted by My Heart Song

6/21/2016 

This proverb. 

We're memorizing it these days. 

We've set it to music to help us remember it.

Gracious words are a honeycomb, 

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. 

Proverbs 16:24 

It's incredible how much more you notice something when you start looking for it. Looking for gracious words, I find them more and I'm also more aware of when they are lacking. 

One of the most convicting and embarrassing things is to hear one of your small children echoing your angry words or harsh tone. I hate that feeling, when I know full well that they are simply repeating what they've heard. When it comes from my mouth, I think "I'm justified. They are wrong. I have a right to feel angry/hurt/etc." But when I hear it from their mouths, it sounds ugly and wrong, regardless of the circumstances. 

We were challenged when we considered that often when guests are in our home, we are much more gracious than we are otherwise, when it is just our family, ourselves. So what would it sound like if we treated one another with the grace that we would offer to a guest? What if we spoke with gentleness and grace, building-up words seasoned with mercy and encouragement? This is a lofty goal!

And so we are all working on becoming more gracious in our tone and with our words. Lord, help us!