{"id":4372,"date":"2018-01-07T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2018-01-07T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4372"},"modified":"2018-01-08T18:33:56","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T00:33:56","slug":"choose-to-make-your-words-sweet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4372","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Make Your Words Sweet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yet Another Year of Choices<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren<\/em><\/p>\n

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Proverbs 16:24 says, \u201cPleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.\u201d<\/p>\n

We all know there are many ways our words can get us into trouble. That\u2019s why scriptures encourage us to guard against lying, swearing, gossiping, complaining, grumbling, and so on. However, the focus of Proverbs 16:24 is using words for good. Loving words! Gracious words! Caring words! Pleasant words! These kinds of words are sweet to our souls and possess a healing power, making us happier and healthier. They are good spiritually and physically.<\/p>\n

Using an analogy about honey with words is pure genius. (Yes, the Bible is the inspired Word of God!) Honey not only tastes sweet, but it has health benefits as well. From ancient times, honey was used as a food and as medicine. In fact, ancient Egyptians made offerings of honey to their gods. Here may be a few reasons why\u2026<\/p>\n

Honey is an all-natural, high-energy food loaded with antioxidants. It\u2019s used to help suppress coughs and reduce allergy symptoms. Perhaps the most amazing fact about honey is that it\u2019s a natural antibiotic. When applied to a burn or wound, it promotes healing because of its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. No wonder honey is used as an analogy of using our words like a honeycomb \u2013 sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.<\/p>\n

Here are some effects of using words for the good of others: A wise tongue promotes healing. (Proverbs 12:18) Good words make a heart glad. (Proverbs 12:25) A soothing tongue is like the tree of life. (Proverbs 14:4) Words of edification impart grace to hearts. (Ephesians 4:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:11)<\/p>\n

When we are weighed down by the troubles of this world, one word of kindness can lift our spirits. A note of appreciation, a word of thanks, or a nice comment can help anxieties fade away. I\u2019m not talking about false flattery or just telling people what they want to hear. That\u2019s the wrong use of words. I\u2019m talking about words of edification \u2013 words that build up others, not tear them down. We need to be honest, not cruel.<\/p>\n

Think of words of affirmation and use them with others often. Mark Twain said, \u201cI can live for two months on a good compliment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026 Maybe your mother was right when she said, \u201cIf you can\u2019t say anything nice, don\u2019t say anything at all.\u201d About ninety percent of the time that\u2019s pretty good advice to follow. When we must give instruction or guidance, we should do so with kindness. After all, a spoonful of honey can make the bad taste of medicine easier to swallow.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a final thought\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

If we make our words sweet, they will be much easier to eat \u2013 if we have to!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yet Another Year of Choices By Barbara Dahlgren Proverbs 16:24 says, \u201cPleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.\u201d We all know there are many ways our words can get us into trouble. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4372\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}