Let Your Conversation Be Full of Grace

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:6 NIV

“Sticks and stones may break my bones. But names will never harm me.” When I was a child, this was a common expression. I used it and heard many others using it as well. But, unfortunately, it is not true. What people say to me may not cause me physical harm. But it can cause mental and emotional distress. And the way a person expresses themselves can dramatically affect how receptive I am to what they say. Words, whether written or spoken, are powerful. They can cause great harm. And they can also be very helpful.

Gracious Words

Paul is here urging us to do the second. Be careful that the words we use are full of grace and seasoned with salt. Don’t use your words carelessly. Think about the impact they have on those who hear or read them. And this is especially important on social media. It is so easy to respond to people in a careless fashion. So many arguments could be avoided or resolved if the participants would respond with grace rather than ego.

If my conversation is full of grace, looking to edify (seasoned with salt), then I will be able to respond appropriately to everyone. And, in so doing, I will be able to glorify my Lord in all of my communication with other people.