The Doorpost: Wise speech brings healing

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

All of us would say that we want to be wise. We want to say and do the right things. How can we know if we really are wise? The passage above indicates that our speech provides an important test. A truly wise person’s words bring healing, not injury.

This theme is also found in James 3:17-18, where we read, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Earlier in James 3 we are told that there is also another kind of wisdom that does not come down from heaven. This kind of wisdom produces disorder and evil, not peace.

Reckless speech is much easier than wise speech, and usually we can give a good “reason” for using it. “It’s the truth.” “They needed to be stopped.” “We don’t have time to explain everything.”

Whatever “reason” we may give to justify our speech, the verse above provides a way for us to test our wisdom — do our words tend to “pierce” others, or do they bring healing? Are we willing to make the extra effort it takes to truly look out for the interests of the one(s) we are talking to