Watch Your Words

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!

Who came up with that saying? And why did it continue for so long? Clearly a bold-faced lie. Words hurt! You know the lesson about the toothpaste and words? The one where they squeeze a bunch of toothpaste out and those are your words. Then they try and put the toothpaste back in the tube (that would be you apologizing or saying nice things to the other person). You can get a lot of the toothpaste back in the tube. Almost all of it. But no matter how much you try, there is still some toothpaste on the paper plate that just won't go back. Were my parents the only ones that did that?

Or the talks about how encouraging words filled each other's cups but mean language would lessen it. Growing up we would go to the beach with all my cousins and every year we would have a talent show. I can vividly remember one year where all the cousins put a cup of water in front of everyone and then we would jokingly make fun of each other and then pour a little bit of water out of our cups. All while singing, of course. I am now singing "Fill my cup, fill my cup, let it overflow" in my lowest CoC voice! :) One of the parents would say "what do families do?" and then in unison all the kids would respond "build each other up!" I can't be the only family that did things like this... right?

In high school, my mom used to randomly put index cards with Bible verses on the bathroom mirror and I can remember one morning brushing my teeth and looking up and seeing Ephesians 4:29 on the wall. (I'm pretty sure that verse stayed up for a very long time...)

But words hurt. Be careful what you say to people. You don't know their struggles or the lasting impression that your words can leave.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29