Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.
(Pearl Strachan)
Ralph and I traveled to his brother-in-law’s place in Green County Indiana to ride horses. After arriving at Fred’s farm, we went up the hill, found the horses in the pasture and began chasing them. We managed to hem them up in a corner of the property. Ralph took the bridle and walked slowly towards Lightning, a good-natured horse that loved to run and was easy to handle, if you could get a bridle on him. When Ralph got close to Lightning he bolted, galloping towards me at full speed. Ralph yelled, “Turp, stop him! But it was too late because I panicked and jumped out of his way, letting him run by me. We eventually caught him and once Ralph put the bridle on Lightning, he did exactly what we wanted him to do.
A major part of self-control is mouth control. He or she that can rule the tongue can manage and bridle the actions of his or her whole being. Our words are seeds that produce fruit, both good and bad, in our bodies and in our spiritual lives. We are influenced, both physically and spiritually, by what we say. “The tongue of the wise promotes health” (Solomon). It is very easy to form the habit of being negative, but you can learn to speak good soul nourishing words if you work at it. What you feed grows—what you starve dies. “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Solomon).
“Our lives are fed by kind words and gracious behavior …. We are nourished by expressions of simple courtesies. Rudeness, the absence of respect and consideration, denotes that we are lacking spirituality and the enjoyment of life” (Ed Hayes). A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and words, both positive and negative, play a large part in determining our spiritual health and destiny. Watch your mouth! Walk with Jesus and He will help you bridle your lightning tongue. “Before you can be changed, you must change your language. If you do not change your language, you cannot change your life” (Cho).