Dare 2 Share - Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)
Think hard for a minute, can you remember how many skinned knees or cuts and bruises you got as a kid? Can you picture right where you were and what you were doing when most of those little injuries happened?
Probably not, and neither can I. Yet I am extremely confident that you could easily recall hurtful words and hateful phrases from folks when you were growing up.
Where did we get the notion that ‘words can never hurt’ us? I believe they have the ability to change the course of a life for good or bad.
I remember when I was in elementary school, I ran for office in Student Council. The problem was that you had to give a speech to the entire school, and I had never tried public speaking before. After my attempt, my teachers basically told me that I should never try that sort of endeavor again. Thinking that they were the experts, I gave up that dream year after year because I feared failure and embarrassment.
Finally in middle school, I had a teacher who really believed in me. He encouraged me to run for Student Council, and just be myself when giving the speech. But those old voices still haunted me, so I wrote a long discourse boring enough to put rabid chipmunk to sleep. When I stepped up to the microphone I remembered what my teacher had said, and something clicked in my self-confidence. So right there on the spot, I crumpled up the speech and just went for it.
Not only did I get elected, I also received a standing ovation.
That day changed my life. Since then the Lord has given me the opportunity to fan into flames the gift of teaching, which never might have happened because of a few thoughtless comments from my former authority figures.
Perhaps you have been wounded by words. Keep in mind that there is nothing you can do about that now- except to forgive, forget, and move on. If you let those memories continue to cripple you (like I almost did), you may be missing out on the Master’s master plan for your life.
Think about how Jesus might have turned out if He had listened to His critics!
The other thing to consider is what path you will choose with your words. If you have languished over the language to which you were exposed in the past, you of all people should carefully consider the cutting potential of your conversation.
You are either helpful or hurtful with your words- period. Don’t dilly dally around and try to justify tactless terms by saying “I was only kidding”! Speak the truth in love, but keep in mind that you have a Judge who listens to every word you say.
Here’s what Jesus had to say about the subject:
A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart. And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:35-37)
Wow! Pretty serious don’t you think? Commit today to be used by God to help heal people and set them on the path that God has chosen for them with the power of your words.
Questions:
1) Do your words generally help or hurt people?
2) Have you forgiven those who have injured you in the past? Why or why not?
3) What situation/person in life brings out your worst speech? What can you do to change that?
