Make them life, Jesus

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,

But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:4

What a heart warming image the first line presents. A tongue that is wholesome builds up and causes people to flourish. This passage is an inspiration to seek God, to pray that he will make my words life-giving.

In contrast, the second line presents a tragic image. A broken spirit, a crushed heart, is something we can all identify with. There have been many times when a few words have broken my spirit. They have festered and hurt long after they were spoken. The saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" is not biblical. Words can hurt more than stones.

This verse is so meaningful to me that when I did a poetry writing unit at university, I tried to write a poem on it. The title was "Make them life, Jesus."My tongue is evil and difficult to control, as James points out. I cannot even control it without God's help.

Here at the school I pray this even more. Teaching is so much about communication, speech. The children are always doing things that are irritating, or need correction. They often struggle with school work, and I need to explain their mistakes whilst encouraging them. If their spirits are broken they will not even want to learn. In the midst of all this, I often pray about my words: "Make them life, Jesus."