A Lesson in Wisdom from Chick-fil-A on the Power of Words

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CONSECRATION

Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. 

Jesus, I belong to you.

I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.

Jesus, we belong to you. 

Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. 

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Proverbs 10:11–21 NIV

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
    but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.
The wise store up knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
    but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
The wages of the righteous is life,
   but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.
Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,
    but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips
    and spreads slander is a fool.
Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
    but the prudent hold their tongues.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
    but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
The lips of the righteous nourish many,
    but fools die for lack of sense.

CONSIDER THIS . . .

Today, we see another major theme of the rest of Proverbs: the power of the tongue and the potency of words. Verse 11 says it beautifully: “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.”

Our words may be the greatest power we possess. What holds more power than the Word of God? To be created in God’s image means, in some sense, our words are imbued with great power. Our words can create or they can destroy. It brings to mind a text I first worked with a lot when I was a youth pastor: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit all who listen” (Eph. 4:29). 

Unwholesome talk tears people down, whether it is directed at them or not. Gossip tears people down, even if it seems satisfying at the moment. Sarcasm tears people down. Negativity tears people down. The New Testament writer James has quite a bit to say about the power of the tongue and the potency of words. Consider this example: “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless” (1:26).

Words of encouragement build people up. Words of affirmation and blessing build people up. Calling people by their names builds people up. Our words can create a context of life or an environment of death. Our every word matters.

At most restaurants, when an employee serves you in some way, and you thank them, they typically say something like, “No problem.” Really? What does that mean? Are you saying it was not a problem to do your job? And those two words are not even great words. “No,” and “problem” are both less-than-stellar words. 

In contrast, consider Chick-Fil-A. When you say thank you for an act of service there, you know what they say: “My pleasure.” Those two little words brighten up the room. Every time they say it (and they say it a lot), it reinforces to the customer that service is a pleasure. Every time they say it, it reinforces to the employee that service is a privilege. Words create worlds.

So the question: How can we extrapolate this little example in twenty other situations in our everyday lives?

PRAYER