Jones: Speak words that help others
By Lynn Jones
“A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.” Emily Dickinson’s words are a reminder of the power and influence of the words we speak.
Proverbs 15:23 declares, “A man finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word!” A timely word is a word spoken at just the right time to help someone around us.
Browning Ware said that he had had a rough day. It was a day with many withdrawals and no deposits. With his balance being very low, he heard a friend tell how he had dealt with some difficult times in his life. The friend concluded by saying, “The Lord knew where I was, and I knew that He knew. That was enough for me.” It was just the word Ware needed to hear. He said, “After that, I was not as deflated as I thought. A friend, who shared his timely story of how the Lord had helped him, made a big deposit to my account.” Proverbs 15:23 says, “A man finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word!”
Proverbs 25:11 emphasizes that same truth. “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Great skill is needed to share such a word. An artisan would take silver and gold and craft a beautiful piece of jewelry or vase. He would take gold and fashion it into the shape of apples. Then he would take these apples of gold and put them into settings of silver. What a beautiful piece of art!
That’s the way it is with a special, sensitive word, spoken at just the right time to meet the need in someone’s life. “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” It takes great skill and sensitivity to fashion such a word that enriches the life of someone around you.
When you are driving, the highway department has put a lot of helpful signs along the roadway to tell you what is coming: Curve to the right; Dip; Steep hill, etc. Wouldn’t it be nice if people around us wore such signs? You come to work and there’s a big sign around a coworker’s neck: “Having trouble in my marriage—proceed with caution.” Another has a sign that says, “Be gentle. Worried to death about my teenager.” Or, another has a sign that says, “Need sympathy. Just discovered I have serious health problems.”
Unfortunately, people don’t wear those kinds of signs. What you need is the sensitivity and concern in order to be able to speak a loving word to those who hurt around you. How beautiful is such a word! “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
Lynn Jones is a retired pastor who lives in Oxford. He does supply preaching for churches in his area and often serves as an interim pastor. Jones is also an author, has written two books and writes a weekly newspaper column. He may be contacted at: kljones45@yahoo.com
