We have all heard the old rhyme, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”
Let’s get real though, words do hurt. More often than not we would probably take the stick or stone just so that we could “get the pain, over with.” Words are lasting though.
We can feel the negativity of painful words and rush to replace the words with encouragment in order to fight the feelings of sadness, disappointment, shame or anger. Perhaps we have decided that these words define us. Perhaps we think that these words are truth, but they do not have to be your truth. The opinions of others do not define you, negative words that are spoken are not your truth.
God knitted each and every one of us in our mother’s womb. The truth is God created you for his glory and there is no room for negativity within that truth.
Unfortunately for as bad as we may feel about the things said to us, we have all done the same to others at one point or another. I don’t know about you but that thought makes me cringe a bit. To think I may have inflicted the same negative feelings toward someone makes me feel like I need to make sure I become aware of my words and make a change.
Turn your bibles to Ephesians 4:29 Before we read the verse let me give you some background, Ephesians is a letter that was written by the apostle Paul in order to encourage and challenge the church to live a life that glorifies God, a life filled with moral standards and love.
I want to encourage us to accept the challenge brought to us in
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Let’s think about this for a second, what would life be like if everyone accepted the challenge, to avoid unwholesome talk and build each other up? It is hard to even fathom just how awesome it would be, isn’t it? So here is what I propose we do. Let’s shine that light, let’s make a conscious effort to accept the challenge and follow through. Let’s use the encouraging words and spread it to all the people we can.
Let’s make that old rhyme about others instead of ourselves: “sticks and stones may break YOUR bones, but I’ll use my words to encourage YOU.”
Be blessed and bless others today!
Tutus & Armor 