“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each one.” Colossians 4:6

On a recent fast food run, my son brought home a bag of tacos and more than a few packages of spicy condiments.  As I tore open a package I noticed the words: Sauce responsibly.

I have to admit, I chuckled, having on more than one occasion been irresponsible with the jalapeno pepper sauce. Wow.

Soon, a flurry of other “responsibly” options were running through my head, like “walk responsibly,” as in look up from your cell phone before you step in front of my car in the supermarket parking lot. There have been way too many close calls on shopping trips.

Or “Facebook responsibly,” with more reasons than could ever be addressed in this brief column.

But related to this is an option that holds the most meaning for me: “Use words responsibly.”

I never bought into the “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me,” adage.

It has been my experience that poorly, thoughtlessly or maliciously used words can be as damaging to the human spirit as a bruised body or broken bones.

Four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare wrote:  “Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”

Considered by many to be the greatest writer, and most certainly the greatest dramatist, in the English language, Shakespeare understood the power of words as well as he understood the intricate workings of the human spirit.

However, compared to Scripture, Shakespeare’s prediction for words without thoughts is very generous. In the Gospel of Matthew we are warned, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak.”

Scripture is clear that words, through us, have the ability to create or destroy, to heal, to injure or to bless.

As such, our ability to create with words and to influence others through our creation comes with a serious responsibility for meaning and truth, presented in a way that reflects our dignity as children of God.

One of the problems with today’s social media is the temptation for an immediate response, a problem warned of in Proverbs some 3,000 years ago: “Do you see someone hasty in speech? There is more hope for a fool!”

Throwing caution and good sense to the wind, and often feeling empowered by the digital distance afforded by the medium, we spout words, emotions and ideas better suited for the recycle bin than the eyes, hearts and minds of family, friends or strangers around the globe.

The Psalmist reminds us often that God created the world with words. God spoke and all that exists came into being.

As God’s children we have been gifted with a similar ability to create, but as human beings we need to prayerfully ask ourselves the question: What kind of worlds are we creating with our words?

Are we creating worlds in which relationships are strengthened, where bridges of understanding are being built, where healing has a chance, where people come to recognize their own ability for holiness?

If our honest answer is no, then we have another choice which has as much power as any word – silence.