...But Words Will Never Harm Me

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me!!!

This is an old chant that a child who was being bullied would cry out to his/her attackers as they slung hurtful words at them.

The first part of that sentence is true; sticks and stones do hurt; but the last phrase is a big fat lie.

Malicious words don’t cause physical wounds, that is true.

Instead, they penetrate deep into the very core of a persons

mind, soul, spirit, character, being, and heart.

Hateful words do not heal as quickly as flesh wounds do.

The insecurity, shame, embarrassment, fear, anxiety, loneliness,

and sense of worthlessness and rejection

that mean words create can linger for a lifetime.

Sharp, degrading words that may have been spoken out of carelessness or anger;

can sometimes morph into a permanent personality defect on its' victim.

Depression, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, broken friendships/marriages, failed businesses, and dysfunctional family life, all may have

been birthed by the flame of someones ruthless and bitter words.

If you are the abuser; then repent to God and man.

Let God give you His peace and cleanse your spirit.

If you are the abused; then seek God; so He can refresh, restore, and rejuvenate you.

Then pursue Him to fill you with strength you truly need to forgive your abuser.

Forgiveness is vital for your spiritual and physical health

to heal completely from the inside out.

This is not an easy journey to travel,

however, it is your only hope to have a clean heart and a free spirit man.

The Bible is loaded with scriptures to help us obtain our peace and sanity

as well as numerous passages on the use of our words .

Let’s learn to practice kindness, love, gentleness, goodness and self control.

I often recite and meditate on the two scriptures below so I can tame

my sharp tongue and quick witted remarks; to avoid offending someone.

Psalms 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh, Lord. Psalm 141:3

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.

After I wrote this blog; I heard the song -Mean Girls by Leanna Crawford.

It was a confirmation for me.

Check it out.

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Why Wait?

But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength:

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

I haven’t met too many people who enjoy waiting. I know I don’t like it.

It seems like I want every thing done on my time table and that translates to “right now”.

However, I have learned several things during my times of waiting. They are listed below.

• Waiting is training me to be still in body, mind and spirit.

• Waiting builds my faith muscles and teaches me to trust God as He moves in His own perfect time.

• Waiting teaches me to be patient and submissive to God’s plans.

• Waiting helps me understand and witness the sovereignty of God.

• Waiting is my own private classroom for attitude and character adjustment.

• Waiting is God’s way of letting me know He is in control - not me.

• Waiting on God has persuaded me to be content and joyful because, I am right where God wants me. So I search for purpose in the wait.

• Waiting has developed hope and humility in me.

• Waiting on the Lord renews my strength.

We all are waiting for something, or someone.

We wait in lines at stores, doctor's offices, at traffic lights and on the phone; only to be greeted by a message machine.

We wait for various things all day long.

We also wait on the Lord for His answers and for His help.

So it is important to realize that waiting doesn’t have to be an uncomfortable or irritating time. We can wait with purpose as we seek His plan. Prepare yourself daily for the times you will be waiting and have a plan on how you will occupy yourselves while you wait.

Waiting will display your inner character; the good, the bad, and/or the ugly.

It can also be fun and productive but that is all up to you!

New day - New Choices

Each new day awakens a new beginning in me.

I have an opportunity to start my day off in whatever tone, attitude or feeling that I choose.

I decide if I am going to be happy or grumpy.

I have a choice to make; will I be in a positive or a negative mood?

Will I allow everyone and everything to get on my last nerve or will I roll with the flow?

I can have control over my tongue to speak sweetly or be rude.

I can provide grace instead of sarcasm.

I can show concern more for others than myself.

I can illuminate a room with a joyful spirit or project doom and gloom.

Today, I have choices.

You do too.

Today is your day. How do you want to spend it?

Do you want to have a satisfied and peaceful spirit at the end of your day?

Or do you want to have regrets and feel shame for your behavior?

Climb up to higher ground and lift others up along the way.

Let your light so shine that others may see your good works, mood and attitude.

Give God glory and hopefully others will follow your example.

Matthew 5:16