Sticks and Stones....Watch Your Mouth

Ahhh, the mouth.  Such a small part of our body, but oh the damage it can do when we let it get out of control.

As the old saying goes:  Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. That is SO far from the truth.  Anybody who has been attacked by words will tell you differently.  Even those who try to be careful of what is said may occasionally suffer from word vomit.  Word vomit is when what you think comes out of your mouth so fast, there is no stopping it and if anybody is in your way, they better move!

One of the bad things about words is that they can't be taken back.  Once you've said something, it's out there, probably gets repeated to others and then all that's left is damage control and hopefully asking for forgiveness.

It only takes a few seconds if our guard is down.  I think I usually keep my words to others pretty positive.  However, a few days ago I was stopped at a red light.  I could turn left if it was clear.  I was busy talking to our daughter and didn't turn when I possibly had a chance too.  The person behind me honked once and maybe even twice.  I am embarrassed to admit this, but I flew a bird and dropped a bomb quicker than I thought possible.  I apologized to my daughter, but I couldn't take back what I did and said.

I used an example in youth group one time with blocks.  It took awhile to build a good sized tower.  I gave the kids other blocks and told them to let some mean words fly when they threw their block at the tower.  The tower was quickly destroyed.  We talked about how much longer it takes to build it up then tear it down.

The same is true with people.  When we don't pay close attention to what we say to others, we can tear them down.  This can cause negative thoughts to flow through their mind and they may get stuck in a loop of repeating it to themselves.  This can cause them to say hurtful things to someone else....and it ripples outward from there.

Words may not cause visible bruises, but they can easily cause as much, if not more pain than a physical blow.  Physical blows (sticks and stones) heal, emotional verbal blows take longer to recover from.

Try and remember the power of words.  Sometimes silence really is golden.

Matthew 12:33-35 (The Message) 

³³"If you grow a healthy tree, you'll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you'll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.

 ^34-37"You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."