Well of Life

I was reading in Proverbs this morning, as I usually do, and was struck with this verse, Proverbs 10: 11. It calls the lips of the righteous a "well of life". What on earth does that mean?! After all, our teasing and sarcasm is all in fun, right? and we are allowed to have a "bad day" now and then, right? Or are we really supposed to speak only life-giving words? When I think of life, I think of joy, vivacity, gracefulness, beauty, purity. Do my words reflect those qualities? or am I too busy trying to sound like everyone else? trying to have the best comebacks, the "coolest" speech, the wittiest jokes. But perhaps, just maybe, as children of the King, we are called to a different standard. Not just avoiding swearing, not only speaking truth, but we are expected to speak as His children! What a privilege!