Sticks & Stones

Do you remember being teased or bullied as a kid by your peers? I am sure you remember some of the horrible things that were said about you or someone you loved.

I have no doubt that you can also recall telling your parent(s) about the bullies onslaught of verbal attacks and getting this as a response, “just ignore them-words can’t hurt you, but if they put their hands on you take them down.”

This may have seemed like wise counsel at the time, but the long-term effects are no match for the short-lived victories gained by ignoring their words. As you have matured you have come to realize that ignoring verbal assaults do not eliminate their effect and they are never forgotten. What is said to you matters and what you say to others matter. Whether it is someone you love, the stranger you past on the street, or an enemy with whom you have discord; the words you speak have a profound effect on the lives of those who hear them.

“What is said to you matters and what you say to others matter.”

Be Mindful

Unlike broken bones which heal and may leave visible scars, negative hateful words have no healing affect. They are destroyers of the human spirit taking down the strongest of men/women and reducing them to mere children. The fifty-year-old who fails at a task quickly reverts to the five-year-old who heard his parent(s) say, “you are a failure.” Words such as these leave permanent open wounds in the soul. While broken bones can be healed within six weeks, a broken human spirit could take a lifetime to repair. I encourage you to be mindful of what you say to others and to change the narrative of what you are saying to yourself.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Your tongue used as a weapon is more powerful than any number of sticks and stones. This Scripture serves as a reminder that despite what you have been told words do hurt and can kill the human spirit!