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Sticks & Stones

  • November 4, 2019
  • Posted by: Carolyn Mahal
  • Category: Devotions
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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. – Psalm 19:14

Do you remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” You probably do. It’s a phrase most commonly shared with young children who are upset about something a sibling or friend just said to them. The purpose of saying it is two-fold. First, it teaches children that people will sometimes say things that are designed to be mean and hurtful and we should be strong enough to recognize that the opinions of others shouldn’t make us upset. Secondly, it provides the parent or teacher the best opportunity to avoid unraveling a ten minute argument between two kids that sounds something like this…

“He called me stupid.”

“But she called me an idiot.”

“But he called me a blockhead.”

“After he called me a clown-faced dweeb.”

And so on…

For clarity’s sake, I don’t blame those adults for diffusing those situations with the sticks and stones advice. That said, it’s a lie. Words can and do hurt us. It wouldn’t take us long to think back to a moment in our lives where a person we admired spoke a word of encouragement that inspired us to accomplish something important. That said, it would take us even less time to think of a moment in our lives where someone said something hurtful or insulting, causing us to change our thinking about a certain person or event and perhaps even leaving a wound on our hearts that we’ve carried with us for years. It’s important for us to remember that our words spoken wield a power that can span a lifetime, both positively and negatively for both the hearer and the speaker. Consider the words of James 1:26 where he tells us, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”

With that firmly established in our hearts, we must ask ourselves how we can best use our words to do the most good while eliminating those moments where they create feelings of hurt. Think about the people with whom you communicate most frequently: spouses, children, parents, colleagues, clients, teachers, neighbors and friends. Are you speaking the truth in love? Are you putting the best construction on every situation? Are you encouraging them to be better? Do they hear in your words the love of Christ being shared in an equal portion to what He has shared with you? Not always? You’re not alone. Our tongues come with a sinful, selfish predisposition to gossip, slander, criticize and nit-pick. This is not what God desires from us. For some, the solution is to say nothing. It eliminates the threat of actively saying something hurtful, albeit by creating another level of problems. Marriages fail due to lack of communication. Students aren’t well-served by parents and teachers who don’t talk. Workplaces become uncomfortable and toxic when people refuse to communicate. Silence builds suspicion and distrust – two things on which relationships cannot thrive.

Our only solution is to turn to God for forgiveness and strength by communicating with Him through prayer. What an amazing gift we have been given – the ability to talk to God at any time, in any place, about anything! The fact that God Himself desires us to come to Him in prayer is the best example we have of the importance of communication. Through it, we can seek forgiveness for those times where our words have failed us and hurt others. We also receive His Spirit to help us build our faith so we can communicate His love while squelching the sinful things that so readily dominate our conversations. May our words today be filled with the love and hope of Christ so that we may be witnesses of the truth and builders of His Kingdom.

 

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

LSEM Director of Programs & Services