Seasoned Speech

May 12, 2022

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6 NIV

Thumper, the Disney bunny from Bambi fame, adorably cautions, “If you can’t say nothing nice, don’t say nothing at all.” Supposedly, Thumper learned that from his Poppy. Thumper and his Poppy are on the right track. But wise and helpful love language is much more than that.

As Jesus followers, our words are particularly important. We are not to be silent and just let the tsunami of ugly words roll through our world and leave a torrent of destruction in their wake. When we call ourselves Christians we speak in His name, so we must be sure we speak with His heart, tone, and spirit.

Paul tells us that our conversation, written and verbal, must be seasoned with salt. Like salt enhances and brings out the flavor in food, our conversation is intended to bring out the best in others, not put them down or burden them. If your desire is to build and lift people up through what you say, God will help you grow in grace so that you will know how to respond to them.

Every interaction is an opportunity to show the grace of God. Words are powerful. They can change someone’s life in a moment, forever. Words of kindness and sincere caring plant seeds of life. The courage to speak truth in love with poise and respect in our world of double talk is life giving. Psychologists tell us that our world is so negative and lacking in grace that a person needs on the average five positive inputs to equalize one negative. In a culture where many people have nothing good to say, a positive voice of hope and love is refreshing and highly valuable.

We all have opinions and points we want to make, but stop and think and get a grace fill-up before you speak. Pray every morning, and directly before conversations you know are coming, that your words will be tastefully seasoned and full of grace. It will change your conversations from opportunities to win arguments or show off your wisdom. If you really are wise, you won’t need to point it out. Listen to people, then speak truth and wisdom through grace.

How about this? “If you don’t have something nice and true to say, then figure out what God wants you to say and then speak grace in Jesus’ name.”

• Jesus, help me empty myself of my ego so I can be filled with grace. Help me be the voice in the crowd that speaks hope in Jesus’ name.