There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18 ESV

You shouldn’t trust yourself
with sharp things
like words
that wound
and demean
just because you can be clever
and put them together,
for a moment playing the king.

Words are meant for building
and mending
and to correct,
but in the hands of the disrespectful
they’re bound to maim
and wreck.

A man
or a woman
who learns to weigh their words,
giving the intent behind them honor
like the good Lord taught,
will leave a legacy of wisdom
and better hearts
for the speech they have wrought.

© Joel Tipple
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