Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. - Colossians 4:6
Even if you are a culinary illiterate, you instinctively know when you have come across an extraordinary dish, expertly prepared by a skilled chef.
There are times in our lives when we have come discovered a delectable masterpiece.
It leaves us almost speechless and craving for more. The flavor and the smell linger in our minds for years. We spend hours attempting to recreate the experience.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, it had a tremendous influence on us.
On the other hand, there are certain food or ingredients (sweets, chocolate, caffeine, etc.) that can have a powerful addictive or destructive effect as well when not consumed in moderation.
Words have the same effect, either for good or bad. Today, we’ll take a quick look at the power of positive words.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. - Ephesians 4:29
Corrupt, above, means rotten or putrid. This could refer to just plain filthy talking, which does have a corrupting effect on those who are constantly exposed to it.
But, implied in the latter have of the verse, it also refers to words/speech that tear down or destroy. The opposite effect of “edifying” or building up the hearers.
Our opening verse exhorts us to be gracious in our speech. Gracious speech is characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit.
Being gracious means choosing kindness and courtesy over harshness. Gracious people are tactful, delicate and generous. Being around a gracious person makes us feel better and makes us better. - A Gracious Person Always Wins Out - Jim Erb, Oct 23, 2013.
And remember this reaction when Jesus spoke:
And all bare him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? - Luke 4:22
Not only did he speak graciously, but the latter comment that he was “Joseph’s son”, meaning a common man, makes it clear that even the lowliest among us have the power to speak with grace and with “seasoned words”.
Graciousness is something that we learn and cultivate.
So, the questions we should ponder each and every day are
Are my words genuinely spoken with graciousness?
Are my words so seasoned that they leave an indelible mark upon the lives and in the minds of others?
Do I understand the emotional nature of those I am talking with, so that I can speak with wisdom?
Do I seek forgiveness when I fall short of this standard (which we will many times over)?
Sometimes, it takes many years of learning to “get it” (as my wife will attest to), so it’s probably a good idea to cultivate a little patience along the way.
Next week, we will take look at “The Power of Silence”.
Until then, my friends …
28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.