Sticks and Stones and Words...

Image Credit: Pinterest

*I do my best thinking in the shower.  I don't know if it's the one place where I can get lost in my thoughts or the calming sound of the water, but I just can't help but allow my mind to wander.  These words came to me a few weeks ago in the shower, but I didn't feel like it was the right time to publish.  However, in light of the upcoming election and some other current events, I feel compelled to share.  Regardless of your thoughts about Jesus or the Bible, I think we can all agree that words can encourage or destroy.*

The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.

~Proverbs 18:21~

NIV

Words kill, words give life;
    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

~Proverbs 18:21~

The Message

The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words.

~Proverbs 18:21~

God's Word Translation

Like many others, I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting and reconnecting with friends and family through Facebook.  I even have a handful of acquaintances that I have never met, but have become connected with through other friends or just online.  I joined Facebook in 2008, less than a year after my first baby girl was born.  And the only reason I got an account was to see the pictures my sweet friend was posting from her time in Italy.  It seemed so innocent and fun.  And it was.  My parents and grandparents and sister and other family could watch my babies grow up.

But the way we interact with social media now is no longer fun nor innocent.  We have lost our self-control in the security of anonymity and the ability to speak our minds without having to be face-to-face.

We all have hurts.  We have all been wronged.  And too often we feel justified in what we say or what we do.  But do we stop and consider who we are hurting with our words?  This past weekend my pastor hit our congregation with these words:

"Words can bruise our souls.  They have the power to hurt and the power to help.  

Our words always lead to action.  Your words can either turn or burn.  

Our words can turn people toward grace, love, and mercy - or - they can burn and destroy.  

Your tomorrow will be shaped by the words you say today.  

Words are neither temporary or neutral.  

An unwillingness to acknowledge the power of our hurtful words hurts those around you.  

Your words are not a reflection of your situation, they are always a reflection of your heart.  

Let's be people who fight for things and for people - not against them." 

~Phil Eubank~

When we hurt and retaliate with our mouths, are we aware of who gets caught in the crossfire of our words - of our pain?  Do you care?  Or are you so concerned and so motivated and so determined to be right and have the last word?  Does Jesus call us to be right or to be loving?  Are we to condemn or affirm God's love for those around us?  Do we take captive every thought and represent the Lord well (2 Corinthians 10:5)? 

If you love Jesus, I think at the end of our lives, we all desire for our Savior to say to us, "Well done good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25).  But what about at the end of each day or hour or minute?  What is Jesus saying about your words - about your thoughts - about your actions right now? 

In the final verse of Psalm 19, David proclaims these words to the Lord, "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

Are our words pleasing to the Lord? 

Are our thoughts pleasing to Him? 

Who are we striving to impress - man or God? 

Whose opinion do we care about?  
Do our actions and our words and our thoughts convey who our Lord is?

All too often we get caught up in our hurts - in the things that bother us - in our desires or our wants - and we take to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram.  We gather fellow friends who are hurting too and we play on their hurts to strengthen our convictions in our own hearts and in our own pain. 

But is this right?  Is this what is pleasing to God?  Will He say, "Well done," to what our words say?  

Our hearts will feel the feels.  We cannot always control what happens to us and how we feel about it.  But we need to take control of our minds.  We are in control of our words.  We are in control of what we say and what we write and how we interact with others.  

Regardless of if you feel justified in what you said or what you think or what is in your heart, our job everyday is to be Jesus to those around us.  Are you being Jesus?  Are you being the love of Jesus to those around you?  Can they see His light shining through your heart and through your pain and in your shame or your bitterness?

So I challenge you to ask yourself today, "What I posted on Facebook - what I tweeted about - what I found a picture of and posted on Instagram - would God say to me, "Well done good and faithful servant?"

Here is the link to Phil's Message: A Careful Fight