"The language we use to communicate with one another is like a knife. In
the hands of a careful and skilled surgeon, a knife can work to do great
good. But in the hands of a careless or ignorant person, a knife can
cause great harm." ~Unknown
Hello again my friends! I hope you're having a good week and that you're staying cool. The temperatures around here have been H-O-T!!! I'm not much on the hot, humid weather, but it is the middle of summer, so I guess that's to be expected.
I have always been a big advocate for justice. I love to see wrongs made right. It stirs up a righteous anger in me when someone is wrongly accused, or bullied. I want to come to their defense. Maybe it's because of some of the things I went through as a teenager and I know how it feels. I remember after my mom and my step-father got divorced when I was thirteen years old, we went from living in a nice apartment to living in a single wide trailer that was run down and dumpy. That's all my mom could afford. My mom was a waitress and she worked her butt off, but we were still poor, and no matter how much she worked, that didn't change. I remember the front door of the trailer having a big hole at the bottom of it. Looking back, I'm really surprised we didn't have problems with animals getting in since we lived close to the woods. We had no air conditioning, which felt like living in a sardine can that was baking in the oven. I remember some neighbors we had, who were probably just as poor as we were, yet they thought it was amusing to call us names. Not only did they call us names, but they would throw things at the trailer we lived in and shove things through the windows. There were no screens on the windows, and the windows were always open in the summertime, so it wasn't difficult to do. I remember one time standing next to one of the windows and all of a sudden something that looked like a broom handle came flying through the window at me. These people called us names like, sewer rats, and retards, among other things, which I will not repeat. This was not the only time where I had people call me names when I was a teenager, as well as being accused of things that weren't true. Going through those things was very difficult for me because I was already struggling with self-worth and rejection issues from my childhood. I cannot describe the depth of hurt and pain I carried around for many years as a result of those things.
The Bible says that there is the power of life and death in our tongues. Those hurtful words that were spoken about me most definitely had the power of death in them. I think the majority of people have no idea how their words affect someone else. I've had my share of experiences of people saying hurtful things to me and about me, and I wish I could say it's not a big deal to me, but it is. It's not easy to deal with and I still struggle with it a lot. Whoever thought up that little rhyme that goes, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me" must have been living in denial. Words do hurt. They can crush another person's heart.
The damage that's done by spreading rumors and gossip can be even more damaging than speaking something directly to someone's face. Once the damaging words are out there, there's no getting them back. Another person's reputation and character are attacked and damaged by rumors and gossip. Don't believe everything you hear. If you know the person being talked about, then give them the benefit of the doubt, or even better, stand up for them. I'm sure they would be very grateful. There's nothing quite like having someone stand up for you against the lies of others.
I am learning that just because someone says something ugly about me, that doesn't mean that I have to let it define me. What others say about us does not define us, unless we allow it to. I know who I am and even more than that, God knows who I am. He knows my heart. The people closest to me, my family and friends, know my heart. I cannot control what someone says about me, but I can control how I let it affect me.
Weigh your words carefully before you allow them to come out of your mouth. Once those words have been released, there is no getting them back. Will they bring life or will they bring death? Until next time my friends, be blessed!
"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny." ~Author Unknown
"The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." ~Proverbs 15:4
"But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned." ~Matthew 12:36-37
"A perverse man stirs up dissension and a gossip separates close friends." ~Proverbs 16:28
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