‘Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.’ Proverbs 16:24
We all know that once words are spoken they can’t be taken back; we tell children that careless words are like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. (though one resourceful child managed to get some of the paste back in the tube when I was working with the children, which I think somewhat ruined the moral of the illustration)
In another place in Proverbs we read that a soft answer turns away wrath. It is all too easy to speak hastily, or in anger with complete disregard for the hearers. I can still remember the unkind words spoken to me as a child and can hardly recall the kind and complimentary ones. They were probably equal in number but my remembrance is evidence that unkind words hurt. It is no more effort to be complimentary than it is to be unkind and it is worth it to see the smile on the other persons face. Kind words and an assurance of God’s love are invaluable gifts to give.