Regina 
Words roll so easily off our tongues and straight into the hearts of those who hear us. And this is the verse that keeps echoing in my mind… The teaching of kindness is on her {the excellent wife’s} tongue. What kind of teaching? The one inundated with kindness. This is wisdom to take our words and use them for divine purposes. And my thoughts kept trailing on… Who does she give the most instruction to? Most likely, her children, so I thought what if we learned to speak with constant kindness? What if our children abided under instruction full of peace encased with love? How different might out homes be? How changed might our own souls be?
It is difficult to live with or under a hardened heart. Harsh and bitter words steal sweetness from our relationships, and we all hurt for our error in not seeking to control our tongues with diligence. This can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit, because no man can tame the tongue, but the Lord can change our hearts and whatever is in our hearts spills out. Our kind Father could teach us to speak kindly.
Gracelessness slips out of us so easily wrecking the hearts of our small children, reducing our opportunity to train them to a mere act of control by the force of our meanness. This is not training, this robs our children of the joy of kindness, for it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. It might be our kindness that woos their hearts toward God even while offering needed rebukes and careful counsel.
There is no one perfect in this, but by discipline and continual prayer the graces afforded to us in God the Holy Spirit could fill us and pour out. This is our hope the glorious Gospel that teaches us that our words must bend to reflect the way our God speaks, because we all know…
The power of life and death are in the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.
If your kids absorb all that you offer them in the realm of speaking what are they eating? Sweet truth or bitterness they will soon vomit out? How can they receive the oracles of God rightly if they do not witness your submission to the same? It is a sobering thought, the weight our words carry. We can throw that weight around for everyone’s good or we can break people, most of all the little image bearers entrusted to us.
Be careful little lips what you say, indeed and even more…
Guard your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life.
