Sticks and Stones
We all know the famous saying, ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’ Question is.. is it right? Is it true? Are words truly powerless? Well – unfortunately, no.
The words we say can carry a whole lot of weight.
In Proverbs 18:21, we’re told that, ‘the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.’ When we speak, the words that come from our mouths have more power than we think.
See, words can either build up or break down. They can show support or ultimately destroy, that’s why as AWAKE disciples we should consciously intend to use our words to help rather than to hurt.
But what about when people say mean things to us? If someone insults me and degrades me - don’t I have the right to degrade and hurt them right back?
Matthew 7:12 tells us that as AWAKE disciples we should, ‘do to others what you would have them do to you..’ Sounds easy? Nope, sounds pretty hard, but that’s the thing. God knows it will be hard. That’s why he wants us to seek Him and His strength continually (1 Chronicles 16:11). The idea isn’t to do it by ourselves, because by ourselves we would ultimately fail. In fact, God’s Word tells us that by ourselves we can do nothing (John 15:5), so we’re meant to lean on Jesus. Just like in the song.
I lean, I lean, I lean, I lean. Leaning on the Lord’s side. That’s the goal, the aim, the great aspiration of life, to lean on Jesus and not on our own strength.
Another thing we should remember is that, as AWAKE disciples, the goal is to portray Jesus’ character. Portray it by the words we speak, what we do and the way we interact with one another, even the way when we interact with ourselves.
When we say unkind words to others or even to ourselves, those words, great or small, have the ability to creep into the subconscious & ultimately changing the person’s perception. Either about themselves or about others.
So here’s a challenge! Before you say anything.. ask yourself, ‘Do these words have the power to build up or break down?’
