There’s no better judge of a person’s heart than the words that come out the mouth. Luke 6:45 says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. By our words, we are either justified or condemned. A tree is judged by its fruit, and words are the fruit of our lips. Idle words are empty, futile, void of life, and can bring pain to others. While words of life, bring joy, encouragement, and refresh the soul. One prayer we should pray each day is, “Father, put a watch over my mouth and a guard over my lips that I might not sin against You.” It would be better not to speak at all, than to use our words as harpoons to inflict pain on others. However, we can exercise self-control and determine in our hearts to use our words as a healing balm instead of as a harpoon. By refusing to break off a piece of our pain cookie and give to another, we can build up, encourage, and speak life into them. When we season our words with grace, steep them in love, and baste them with forgiveness, it’s a recipe for perfect peace. Martha Stewart couldn’t do it better.