Try Honey, Not Venom: Choosing Grace Over Reaction
I had a dream a few weeks ago. There was an alien invasion. Skies cracked open by rain and UFO lights. When they landed, they spoke in a language I didn’t understand (you know how everything sounds like gibberish in a dream lol). But one word came through clearly: Manuka. Yes, like Manuka honey. Stay with me.
Later that day, while I was doing my daughter’s hair and half-watching TV, a character on the screen said, “Try honey, not venom”. I stood in silence for a moment and let the dream come back to me. That phrase has clung to me since.
Try honey, not venom.
Simple words. Probably meaningless had I heard it any other time. But they’ve helped bring about a powerful shift in how I show up, especially when life gets bitter.
“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
When you’ve been disrespected, dismissed, or disappointed, the natural instinct is to match energy. We want to sting back with sarcasm, silence, passive aggression, or hit below the belt. But what if we paused? What if we didn’t let offense decide our tone?
What if we flavored our words with honey even when the situation invites venom? What if we tried gentleness, patience, and self-control in our heated moments?
There are times when I respond out of my emotions instead of my spirit. Someone says or does something hurtful to me and I want to match their energy — thinking that’s how I needed to protect myself. But every time I chose venom, I felt it linger. It poisons my peace, dims my light, and distances me from my emotional growth and from the very character Christ is trying to build in me.
God doesn’t just care about what happens to us — He cares about how we respond.
Choosing kindness isn’t a weakness. It’s warfare. It’s choosing to reflect Christ in a world that thrives on chaos. It’s keeping your peace when everything in you wants so badly to prove a point.
Jesus didn’t curse those who crucified Him. He forgave them. That wasn’t passive — it was powerful.
🙏🏽 Prayer:
Lord,
Teach me to respond with grace instead of offense. Give me wisdom when I want to react in anger, and help me choose honey over venom. Let my words be seasoned with Your love and rooted in Your Spirit. May I reflect Your name even when the world tests my patience.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
📌Call to Action:
When you feel tempted to respond harshly, pause. Take a breath. Whisper a prayer. And try honey. Whether it’s with your partner, your children, your coworkers, or strangers — let your words heal, not hurt.
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