When our children were small, I used to hear my wife speaking to our kids in a tone of voice that sounded like they were her worst enemies….but she couldn’t hear it! And she would hear me speaking to our kids in a tone of voice that made her fear for the lives of our children….but I couldn’t hear it.
Unfortunately, this same habit, of a negative tone of voice, can easily carry over into our relationship as husbands and wives. How many times has your spouse said to you, “Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice!”
Proverbs 18:21 says that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…and those who love it will eat its fruit.” In other words, the way we talk will reap the consequences of how we talk!
Did you know that only 7% of every message is the actual words spoken? Facial expressions and body language make up 55% of the message. And 38% of the message is the volume in which we speak, voice inflections and tone of voice!
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me? That’s a lie from the enemy of our soul. Wars have been started, marriages have ended, families divided, and churches split….all because of words and how they are used.
Proverbs 15:4 says, “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
Proverbs 12:18 tells us that, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Verbal abuse, intimidation, hateful speech should never be part of our marital relationships. Let’s learn together to cherish, encourage and love our spouses by the way we speak to them. Remember….God’s Word says that we need to speak the truth in Love!
