My friend Nancy would cut her foot off before she’d say anything negative about someone.

It’s just not in her DNA. She always finds something nice to say — no matter what. It’s a gift. And it’s one I’ve benefited from on several occasions.

If I start to complain about someone’s attitude, she reminds me that I don’t know their heart and that their biting words or attitude might be a cry for help. Or she stops me and asks how I would feel if someone said the same thing about me?

Nancy simply refuses to dishonor God by being part of a conversation that speaks negatively about someone He took the time to create. She’s not naïve, though. She understands there are evil people in this world who have given themselves over to Satan. But rather than dwell on who they are, she chooses to see them as equally loved by God and in need of God’s redeeming grace.

I guess you could say that everyone needs a friend like Nancy, but the truth is that everyone has one. That friend is God’s Word, the Bible. And today’s verse is a reminder to use words to build rather than demolish.