Sticks and Stones part 1
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Right? What a load of junk. Words are so powerful. What we do, what we say, matters. Actions have consequences. You can't just pretend like you haven't done the things you have done. And I'm not saying we condemn people. I'm not saying we punish people. But I AM saying we don't have to associate with people. Look at Ecclesiastes 8:4, "Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" Look at Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." And look at Proverbs 15:4, "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." I like it even better in the Message Bible, "Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim." There is power in our words. The power to heal or to hurt. The power, quite literally, of life and death. And that's why I think I abhor dishonesty so much. The fact that people can be so careless with their words. Say things that aren't true in order to manipulate and control people. In order to hide things that shouldn't be going on. And, yes, if you can't tell, I've been on the receiving end of a lot of lies from a lot of people. And that makes it hard for me to trust people. Once you've been burned, its hard to get close to the fire. You have to try really hard to keep your heart, by keeping it open. Try really hard to avoid closing it down. We all have issues. We all have baggage. And a lot of it comes from the words people fling at us. Its amazing to me how often I say something nice to Logan, just little things, "You look sharp today, bub." And he lights up. "That really means a lot to me, Dad!" Words. Powerful, powerful words. So when someone acts like words don't matter... that's not ok. When someone tries to excuse what they say (or do), because they did it out of anger... that's not ok. Like I always say, "Feel what you feel but don't let it control you." Self control is a fruit of the Spirit, by the way. Its like my grandpa says, "You can do whatever you want, as long as you're willing to pay the consequences." But most people don't even think of the consequences. They don't count the cost. They burn bridges and then wonder why they've become isolated. Integrity. Honor. Honesty. Standing up for what's right no matter what. Maturity. Mercy. Grace. These are the things--the words--that are important in life. Love... which is the Word of God. Do all things as unto the Lord, right? Receiving and releasing His love. Not "His" wrath, or anger, or whatever. God isn't angry. He's not even in a bad mood. God is NOT mad at you. He's mad ABOUT you. Head over heels in love with you. And He tells you that with every beat of His heart in your chest. He tells you how He feels so that you can know it. And believe it. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word (love) of God. So be careful with your words. They mean something. They mean everything. They are so important. So powerful. And once you let them out, you really can't get them back. Once trust is broken, its almost impossible to put back together...