I am sitting in the airport in Iceland in the early morning hours, waiting to board my last flight to Amsterdam. I hope to share some highlights and insights today. I met part of the team in Boston and will meet one more person when we get to Amsterdam. We will take several days just to be tourists and enjoy the beauty of the tulip season.

One of the things the Lord reminded me of that I want to comment on is a circumstance that happened earlier this week. I served as one of the mission administrators in Belize, Central America back in the 1990’s. We had to drive 8-9 miles on a road that was not always reliable during the rainy season, to make a phone call to the States or send an email from our tiny little office. I noticed and became very aware that when you are communicating with someone via email, they cannot hear the tone of your voice or see the expression on your face. If you are trying to communicate with someone and there is a question concerning the way it was said, sometimes there can be miscommunication. People can question the motives of your heart and things can become rather tense or worse. I have seen relationships strained or even severed as a result of miscommunication. I learned a lot during that season and believe the Lord has a better plan for us to communicate with one another. It must be done with intentionality.

In the course of trying to clarify our itinerary, after a question was asked, I responded in a way that my friend said, “I don’t know the tone of your voice when you responded the way you did.” Although we never really discussed it together (I did today), I immediately sent her a voice message assuring her that I was not upset but just needed clarification. I used wording that I could see (after the fact) could have come across differently than I intended. I wanted us to remain in singleness of mind and heart.

I think communication is one of the most powerful tools the Lord has given us. From the time we are babies, we can communicate some of our basic needs and feelings. Although a baby may not be able to articulate their desire or need verbally, they certainly can let mama know they are hungry or need a diaper change or just some cuddle time! As a child matures they do learn how to communicate their desires as well as their basic needs. It is when we get older and are exposed to other influences besides our family, that we learn some forms of communication that are not necessarily good or healthy. We learn from others how to flatter, exaggerate or lie, persuade, convince, connive, as well as edify, encourage, and strengthen others.

As believers, we should have a desire to speak the truth in love to one another. All of us should be trying very hard to temper our words so that they do not intentionally offend or deceive someone. Before I came to know the Lord (at 17 years old) I was an extremely good liar (as well as a few other ungodly traits). One of the first things the Lord dealt with me were those obvious ungodly habits that had such a stronghold in my life. It was easy to repent because I wanted so badly to please the Lord and never misrepresent Him to others by doing or saying something wrong and offensive.

I have often prayed, “Lord, set a guard over my heart and my mouth. Help me Holy Spirit to speak from Your nature and not my old nature.” I am still working on this area because I still get tempted to be critical, judgmental, or angry. If I am not careful, I can still exagerate or flatter. “Life and death are in the power of our tongue,” I want to stay sensitive and alert to what comes out of my heart and mouth.

God created the heavens and the earth with words. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Jesus is called “the Word of God.” He only spoke what He heard His Father say or only did what He saw the Father was doing.

So words are very important. What we say and how we say it can make the difference between speaking the truth in love or using our words to cause harm or offense or worse. Most of us are not trying intentionally to cause harm to another with our words and yet we all still have that capability. Having a love for the truth is very important. But so is a spirit of humility. Let us walk so transparently with the Lord that He can correct us easily when our emotions try to dictate what comes out of our mouths and hearts.

I spoke last week about the power of unity and used the example from the scriptures about how all of the people who were on the earth at that time spoke the same language. What is so powerful is the fact that when we are in true unity, nothing is impossible for us! God is looking for a people that He can trust to carry out His plans and purposes together. May we be that people!