Our Words Matter 🗣💥

Recently, I ordered two Sarracenia purpurea plants. An extract from this pitcher plant is an old herbal remedy used by Native Americans in the 1800s and has been studied for its ability to inhibit poxvirus replication in laboratory testing. 🪴

The company I ordered the plants from sent a miniature wooden sign with my order that had the words “peace, love, and sunshine” inscribed on it.

This is where the story gets interesting! ✨

I randomly placed the sign into one of the plants, set them on the back porch, and began to care for the two plants the way the instructions indicated. The plants looked exactly the same when they arrived and have been cared for in the same manner. However, the plant with the words, “peace, love, and sunshine” attached to it has thrived while the plant without a sign has struggled to survive. 🗣❤️☀️🪴

The plant without the sign began to die. There they were, side by side—one thriving and the other withering. That contrast caught my attention and became a meaningful reminder to me.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Proverbs 18:21

Bottom line: Words matter and the right words matter most of all. What are you speaking over your life, your body, your circumstances, and your relationships?

Life and death are in the power of your tongue. 👈🏻

“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

Proverbs 16:24

Sweet to the soul.

Think about the words spoken over you throughout your life. Some have encouraged you, comforted you, and helped you grow. Others may have wounded you deeply.

What are we speaking over the hearts entrusted to us?

Are our words offering peace?
Are they carrying love?
Are they bringing a little sunshine into someone’s weary day?

Today, I am grateful for these special plants and the reminder God sent to me through their visual depiction representing the power of words.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

Ephesians 4:29

May our words minister grace. May we ask the Lord to help us speak truth with kindness, correct with gentleness, and encourage those who are struggling to grow.

Always remember your words carry weight and bearing in your life and in the lives of others. 🔑

Choose them wisely.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14

Misti Rains Kantor

Newer reflection: The Hidden Places of the Heart