Knocking Down Blocks

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” (Proverbs 14:1)

Blocks. Colored wooden ones in all shapes. Cardboard bricks. My boys used them to carefully construct castles, army barracks, and forts. A well-built structure provided protection for their valiant warriors, army men, cowboys, or caped crusaders, a place to rest, regroup, or dig in for a fight. Still, even after meticulous building, knocking down the blocks afterwards always brought a thrill.

As my boys grew older, they exchanged their blocks for Lincoln Logs and later, for Legos. Now, words have become our blocks and with them, we build relationships. Friendship fortresses. Camaraderie construction. Buddy building.

And building is fun. Some friendships are built for a season—peewee football or middle school band. Others endure for a lifetime.

Solomon warns us not to smash the blocks. We have a choice—to build or to demolish. Smashing a friendship has far greater consequences than picking up a pile of blocks on the floor. How are you using your words?

Questions:

What did you like to build with when you were little? What did you build?

Did your materials change as you grew older? Did your structures change? How?

Consider the different relationships you have: family, friends, teammates.

Describe the construction for each one. Are they different?

What is your tendency–to build up or to tear down? Positive words or negative ones?

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