We finished out the illustration by placing band-aids over the holes in the bag to represent the kind and encouraging words we can give people. When we poured the water in the bag with the bandages on it, a lot more of the water stayed in the bag, but it still had a lot of leaks. This shows us that we can and should encourage people with our words, but many times old wounds never fully heal, so we have to be that much more careful to avoid hurting people with our words in the first place!
I bet you can remember unkind words that have been said to you, even many years ago. How about kind, encouraging words? Think about these times, and very quickly we can see the impact words have upon our lives. Let’s remember Proverbs 12:18 as we consider the power of your words: “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” What can we do this week to carefully avoid “piercing like swords” and instead bring healing with our words?