Swords or Salve

SWORDS or SALVE

My parents owned a sword. My uncle had brought it home from the Orient when I was just a child. The sword seemed as tall as I was, and mom insisted that it be kept packed away.

Beware The Power Of A Sword

Upon occasion my uncle would visit. After many years, I remember him telling my mom, “That sword and scabbard are worth something, but if you don’t want them, I’ll take 'em back.”

Dad’s feeling about the sword had always been neutral. What I remember was mom’s happiness when it was not just out of sight, but out of our home.

This sword incident came back to me as I was reading a short verse in Proverbs: The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverbs 12:18).

When you hear the word proverb, you probably think wise saying. If so, you’re right. The Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament is full of wisdom for things like relationships, business practices, and spiritual guidance.

I think we humans tend to be hard enough on ourselves that we don’t need others wielding a sword of harsh, hurtful words.

Get Our Your Salve, Not Your Sword

There’s some great advice in verse twenty-five of the same chapter: Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

As I contemplated these two verses, I pictured swords vs. salve. I don’t want to be reckless with my words. That doesn’t mean I can’t speak the truth lovingly when necessary, but it means I understand the power of words.

Because people are often careless about what they say, swords will always be with us. But that’s a great reminder to kindly make our words like salve, soothing and healing.