"The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit."
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the second day of battle at Gettysburg. This battle would be the bloodiest three days on United States soil in its history. I visited Gettysburg two weeks ago with my family. The serenity still stirs with realization of devastating this battle was. Numerous monuments dart the landscape.
This morning as I read this verse, I was watching a history documentary on the reasons why the Civil War began. The tongue was crushing spirits. The rhetoric had steamed past civility as South and North ratcheted up their stance for and against slavery. The hopes of many of our founding fathers of a country without slavery were being dashed by the pride of Southerners and by the wealth generated from the slave holding empire. A total lack of respect and of compassion was missing for a people wrongly taken and forced into ungodly treatment. The tongue was being wielded as the weapon of choice but soon it would yield to the torrents of war.
A soothing tongue can lead to life. It nourishes the soul. But in the hands of a foolish man, the tongue can destroy faith, families, friendships, communities, and even nations. Everyone should take time to walk through a national cemetery and behold the cost of perverse tongues. Gentle answers turn away wrath. The wise commend knowledge. Being soothing plants life into the hearer.
The Lord keeps watch everywhere. What does He see when He looks at you? What does He hear?
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
Proverbs 15:1-3 (NIV)
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