Sticks and Stones

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!”

Does this ring a bell?  When I think back to my days at school, this line always pops into my head.  The idea that if we just ignore the bad words, they won’t affect us. If only it was that easy?!

Proverbs talks a little about this, and is quite frank in chapter 12, verse 18: 'There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.’

For so long we were told to believe that words can’t hurt you unless you let them, but here we see them compared to being struck by a sword.  Although I have never been struck by a sword, I can imagine it hurts!

I wonder, are there things that people have said to you that made you feel unhappy? Maybe even made you look down upon yourself? On the flip side, have you said things that you wish you could take back because you know they were hurtful? 

As gloomy as this may seem, the second half of this verse gives us hope.  ‘The tongue of the wise brings healing’. Although our words can be hurtful, they can also be incredibly wonderful.  How great to know that a simple gesture like telling someone they have are a great friend, or an encouraging word to someone who needs it, can bring restoration! 

What a great thing to ask ourselves every day, how can I bring joy and restoration using my words today?