In our book study last night, we talked about the power of words to build up and tear down. Our words have real influence. I remember watching a show called 100 Humans on Netflix with Rola. It’s a reality show where a hundred participants take part in a variety of psychological experiments. In one memorable episode, the participants are learning a new skill– plate spinning. After a few hours of practice, they met with a judge. Regardless of their performance, the judge gave half of the contestants praise, and the other half received a critical review. I was amazed to see what happened next. As they continued practicing for the final judgment, those who had received criticism got worse at plate spinning. They doubted themselves. One woman, who had showed the greatest level of skill in the first round but received criticism, could not successfully complete the tasks in the second round, even with additional hours of practice.

This is the power of our words.

What if we had the power to build up, to share love, to empower, all by our words? What if we rejected the temptation to belittle or dismiss or bully with our words? What if we made this our commitment not only with others but also with ourselves?

Proverbs 18:1-8

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
    and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

² Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.

³ When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
    and with shame comes reproach.

⁴ The words of the mouth are deep waters,
    but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked
    and so deprive the innocent of justice.

⁶ The lips of fools bring them strife,
    and their mouths invite a beating.

⁷ The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

⁸ The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.

(A note on reading Proverbs: each verse can be understood as a proverb or saying on its own. While many of the writings of the Bible tell stories or utter prayers, the proverbs recorded in this book are pocket-sized bits of wisdom, passed from generation to generation.)