Have you ever heard "Sticks and Stones can break my bones but names will never hurt me!"? This saying was meant to be an encouragement to children that were ridiculed by other children.
Do words hurt? Can they? Yes, of course they can. We are human. In this human make-up that we consist of, we have different parts and pieces and one of the things we were given is emotions, ability to "feel".
If you were a child that heard repeatedly, "You're stupid!", there is a great chance you would grow up either believing it or being a very angry resentful person.
On the flip side, if you were always told how wonderful you are, how handsome and talented . . . do you think you would suffer from a sense of low self- esteem? Maybe, . . . but probably not as much.
& This isn't about the self-esteem band wagon----- just about words, . . .
Think of the power that some tiny words seem to hold:
"stupid", "idiotic", "slut", "fat", "easy", . . . . . . . . . . or
The smiling sounds of "Will you marry me" in the ears of a woman who longed for that day . . .
The sounds of "I love you",
when two look at each other with love . . .
when many are reuinted . . .
when there has been a quarrel . . .
when one is getting ready to go to heaven . . . .
Today, I just encourage us all to be mindful of what we say, and maybe more importantly the what's in the heart behind the words.
What we might flippantly let loose or say in anger can truly effect in small or big ways who another being is from here on out . . .
& If we doubt that, think of these words:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" and
"It is finished."
GOD BLESS. Have a great day!
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I love this! I was married to an abuser for years. At first it was physical and then it become more verbal and mental. I was told daily how stupid, how fat and how worthless I was until I began to actually believe it myself. My self esteem was so low I didn't have any. When the Lord released me from that marriage I was in so much pain no one could help me but Him. And help (heal) me He did. Thank You Jesus! And I truly beleive it takes Jesus to heal these kinds of wounds. Thank you for a wonderful post. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteAs you well know, I have tried to express the importance of words for years... but never realized until the past year that I hadn't been practicing my own advice.
ReplyDeleteHarsh words seem to be common place in our society today, but as we read in James, the tongue has great power not only in our lives, but in the lives of others. In our words, we hold the powers of life and death.
Thanks for the reminder... I've been on the fringe lately with this one. It's nice to have accountability in my life, amen?
Love ya