Ten students had their coveted Harvard admissions letter rescinded.  Why? They posted obscene, racist, misogynist memes on-line. People have been debating whether a college has the right to limit public expression, no matter how distasteful.

But some words shouldn’t be spoken.

A young woman is on trial in Boston right now for involuntary manslaughter. She allegedly coerced her boyfriend into committing suicide. She was not with him at the time. But she sent a series of messages and texts encouraging him to succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning.  “Get back in the truck,” she urged him, “finish what you started.”  She never touched him, but her words compelled him.

Some words shouldn’t be spoken.

The Bible contains dozens of warnings about the power of our words. James marvels, “How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire” (3:5).  One cruel or thoughtless comment has the ability to ruin a day or crumble faltering confidence. We have all been on the receiving end of cutting remarks or demeaning comments. That pain stays with us.  We have all uttered words we desperately wished to take back. That regret lingers.

Some words shouldn’t be spoken.

What about free speech? The First Amendment is not a “get out of jail” card; it does not pardon all language. The old saying reminds us – your right to swing your arm ends at the tip of my nose. In other words, freedom is not permission to hurt someone. We should not cause harm.

Some words shouldn’t be spoken.

Words have great power. They can be used to proclaim truth, soothe feelings, and extend encouragement. What if we offered our words as a gift to one another? Paul reminds us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”(Ephesians 4:29). What a different world it would be.

Some words shouldn’t be spoken. Instead, let us share words that give hope, lift one another up, and nurture broken spirits. When correction or instruction is necessary, let us offer it in ways that can be received instead each other with a barrage of belittling comments.

Let us take the Psalmist’s prayer to heart: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O God” (Psalm 19).