I bet you’ve heard the proverb about catching more flies with honey than vinegar.
I’m not convinced that I want to catch flies, but I guess if I did, honey would be the way to go.
I was thinking about honey because there’s an interesting verse in the Bible that popped up in my Bible app today that speaks about honey and points something out that most of us wouldn’t associate with the words we speak.
“Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” (Proverbs 16:24 NLT, emphasis mine)
The words we say to one another that are kind and full of the grace of God do more than just fill our souls, they can also bring healing to our bodies.
It sounds crazy, but in a culture that is taking the practice of talking to plants to a whole new level by encouraging people to become Plant Parents, maybe we should consider the effect our words have on us.
I read about an experiment years ago where an entire office played a trick on one co-worker. They each took turns passing by his office, and as they did, they would say something like, “Are you ok? You don’t look like you’re feeling well today.”
It won’t surprise you to learn that he went home before lunch complaining of sickness after coming to work a few hours earlier 100% healthy.
What we say matters because the people we’re speaking to matter. So today, do some experimenting. Speak kind words to others, and to yourself. My guess is that we’ll all be feeling a whole lot better by the time we go to bed tonight!
[Tweet “What we say matters because the people we’re speaking to matter.”]
