Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭21

For my fellow introverts: we often dismiss passages such as these. It’s easy to think it applies to others since we are much less inclined to be in the spotlight.

But it makes little difference how frequently we speak up or out.

The power we wield is still sharp. During our addiction we often develop insulated layers of what we thought was protection.

We edge people out of the center so that we have room to breathe and to be wholly self-sufficient.

Even those we care for become a nuisance.

We grapple with our attitude for a bit but eventually our drinking and using wins, and we dismiss everything else as distraction.

We must unlearn the tendency to hole up with ourselves. We must step fully into the sunlight of the spirit.

And we must be attentive to the very words that we bring into each day.

They are an outflow from our thoughts and attitudes. And they will either poison, dilute or build up those around us.

God, fill me with your thoughts and words.