A Sweet Solution 

“Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24 NLT. 

When was the last time someone made your day by simply saying something sweet to you? When was the last time you purposefully poured out kind words over someone else just because? If you are struggling to remember, join the crowd. Our society has become increasingly toxic with harsh words, quick tempers, and just downright ugliness. 

It doesn’t take us very long to be exposed to this type of poisonous talk, especially in all the various media outlets we have available to us. What is alarming about this is that even though you and I might not be looking to hurl a barrage of unkind words towards someone, we are constantly hearing this kind of talk happening all around us! This has a tremendous effect on us. 

The more we consciously or subconsciously take in, the more we are apt to reproduce the same talk. To put it another way, whether intentional or inadvertent, the way we communicate to one another leaves us with a bitter taste in our mouths toward one another. This can develop into something even more dangerous: a bitter spirit. 

I say it’s time to change the recipe! Let’s be a people who start to sweeten the narrative. And the way we are going to do that is to bring kind words back into the equation. The Bible says that kind words can be compared to honey. Now I don’t know about you, but I love honey. To me, some of the best treats I eat routinely are dripping with the sweet nectar. I particularly enjoy drizzling a little honey over some apple slices in the evenings or pouring it over my protein pancake in the morning. 

It literally goes on anything! I had once read that there were actual benefits to consuming this sweet treat. Honey can act as an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory, or an anti-bacterial agent. It is often used to treat coughs, gastrointestinal disease, cardiovascular disease, wounds, and even neurological disease. This got me to thinking about this bit of wisdom found in the Proverbs. 

Have you or I ever stopped to consider that a kind word just might be the treatment we need in our community to serve as an antioxidant—getting rid of the toxicity we see so often between people? What about an anti-inflammatory? Maybe the next time a situation between you and your spouse brings tension, you decide not to allow the situation—which is probably a minor thing—to become inflamed. Let’s not forget that a kind and sincere apology can stave off infection of a wound inflicted by harsh words. 

Most importantly, maybe the wisdom we can take away from this Scripture is to let kindness and kind words be the daily regimen we practice that keeps our heart from any disease that might damage us and others. Let’s consider this bit of wisdom as we begin each day. 

Buildup, encourage, and comfort one another. Life is difficult enough. Let us help one another out with kind words spoken from a place of love and compassion. Let your words be sweeter than honey.