Words

We all know the old saying right? The one that says, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”. If you’ve lived any amount of time on this planet (obviously that means all of us) then you know how unequivocally untrue that saying is. 

Words have meaning. They have power and force. They can be used for good or bad. They can be used to build up or to absolutely demolish. I’ve been thinking a lot about words lately and how I use them in my daily life. Honestly, I struggle so much with my words. Using them for good, for building up, for encouraging. I struggle with the words that I say to others, like my kids, especially when I’m frustrated and my 11 year old daughter wants to talk back about everything I say. She has some pretty big emotions and so do I. We both seem to struggle with putting those emotions into words and making ourselves understood in a healthy way. Instead, we end up hurting each other with our words. 

Hurt people, hurt people. When we don’t find healthy ways of communicating we wound people. When we say untrue things to try to manipulate or control a situation we injure people. When we don’t deal with past trauma or wounds then they eat at us until we lash out and hurt people. Can you think of a time when someone caused you pain with their words? Or maybe you hurt someone with your words? Maybe it’s yourself that you torment with your words.

As much as I struggle with using words against others, my struggle is immensely more with the words I use against myself. Not enough. Unnecessary. Overweight. Useless. Failure. That’s not what my Father in heaven wants for His children. He wants us to see ourselves the way He sees us. Enough. Worthy. Loved.