Sticks and Stones
Do you remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me?"
I do.
I remember my mother teaching it to me after some kids had
called me a name, and I remember later using it as a retort, finishing with a “stick-my-tongue-out”
flourish to make my point.
However, the older I get the more I realize there is NO
TRUTH in that little proverb, and a better one is this – “The tongue has the
power of life and death and those who love it will eat its fruit.” – Proverbs 18:21
In confronting some of the religious leaders of His day, ones who
were constantly berating and criticizing Him, Jesus said that the mouth will
speak what the heart is full of (whether good or evil), and at the day of
judgement, we will be judged by the words we have spoken (see Matthew 12:34-37).
That makes me anxious…because while I KNOW that heaven awaits me
when I die, I also know my words are not always loving, forgiving, grace-filled,
or kind. This passage tells me that in
Heaven I will be held accountable for every nasty thing I’ve said about
someone, every curse I’ve uttered toward another driver, every time I’ve gossiped…the
list goes on.
And then I remember sticks and stones.
Sticks and stones (or wood and rock) are some of the most useful building
tools on Earth; and there are plenty of Bible verses that inspire me to use my
words to encourage and bolster, rather that to disparage and tear down.
- · Ephesians 4:29: “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
- · Proverbs 16:24: “Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”
- · 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Today, let us guard our tongues and (like a challenge issued to a Superhero)
harness its power for good.
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