Lesley Rigsby, RN: Words
Growing up, how many of you remember hearing someone say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? How untrue is this statement. Words can heal and bring forgiveness or divide and cause discord. Our words can absolutely hurt others as well as ourselves.
Recently I spoke to someone I love dearly in a way that greatly hurt them. It was not what I said but how I said it. As soon as I said it, I knew I should not have. It quickly reminded me of this scripture , “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences (Proverb 18:21- NLT,).” My words did not bring life (love), but death (hurt) to the situation. Many of us know this, yet we ignore the truth and are not careful with our words.
How many of us say negative things about ourselves, obsess about our past mistakes, or focus only on our problems? Instead, we should be speaking life over ourselves and give our mistakes, and problems to God. Believing and trusting God’s word, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). “Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (Romans 8:37 NLT)?
What do you think would happen if we really began to believe what God says about our words in Proverbs 18:21? How different would our life and this world be if we put it into practice to use our words to build people up verses using them to tear them down?
What if instead of thinking about what we can’t do, we declared that we can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13), and remembering that He has a wonderful plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11)
We have all been wounded at some point by unkind, careless, or mean words. Their effect on our lives, even years later, is undeniable. May it be a reminder for us to use our words carefully. “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones,” (Proverbs 16:24). “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)
Until next time remember you are special, you are loved, and you are important.
Neuse News is a locally-owned small business startup in downtown Kinston. Our goal is to provide free, hyper-local news to Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties. The kind of news our grandparents read in a format fit for today's times.
We provide this by having supportive advertisers and we encourage you to click on their ads, shop with them, and eat with them. Every bit of financial support is important to help us sustain free, hyper-local news.
Please consider supporting Neuse News with as little as $5 one-time or via a monthly option. Every little bit helps us, help you.
