"Words Like Honey"

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24 NASB).

Many years ago I had the experience of knowing a beekeeper. While this was merely a hobby for him, he was well known throughout the community for the honey produced by his bees. It was not unusual for him to give me a pint or two of this delectable treat whenever I wanted some. Usually they would have some of the honeycomb in the jar. I must confess that I never took the time to do more than learn to enjoy the finished product. I couldn’t begin to tell you how he managed the bees ultimately collecting the honey from the hives. I do know how wonderful the finished product was though! You could use it for any number of treats. I put it on my waffles and pancakes for breakfast; I put it on toasted bread with butter as a snack; and, I even stirred it in my coffee and tea to sweeten them. Anything I put it on was wonderful! No wonder the writer of Proverbs compares pleasant words to this delectable treat.

There is far too little exchange of pleasant words in our day. Perhaps the nearly limitless access to information that we enjoy has produced this near vacuum of pleasantness in our words. Perhaps it is a result of the multiple points of crisis we face that have caused our words to carry sharpness, which is void of pleasantry. It may be that we have drawn within ourselves so much that we have accepted a withdrawn pattern of speech that carries merely the necessary rather than the pleasant. Whatever the reason, the clear call is to restore pleasant speech to our daily pattern of communication.

Did you notice what this honeycomb speech does? It sweetens the soul and heals the bones. I think the writer is saying that this habit brings a merciful attitude of grace to our souls. That grace is then amplified to healing at the very frame of our lives. This brings a challenge to all of us.

Of course, this means we must be careful about what we say; however, we should also be concerned about how we say things. Like a little honey for our food, pleasant words make a great difference. I have known people who could make the most pleasant of words very unpleasant by the way they say them. The disingenuous way some communicate turns bitter very quickly as it falls on our ears! You know the type. As you find yourself going through a challenging time, someone comes along to comfort you by saying, “I know exactly how you feel.” I usually think, “Really? I didn’t know I had a twin!” Words that are like honey are words that center on the one receiving them, not the one giving them! Join me in changing your communication to words like honey!