Trained

Sticks and Stones // Micah

We put helmets on heads, make pads for knees and place shelters in the earth in case of storm. From childhood, we are trained to take seriously the life long pursuit of protecting ourselves from physical harm. While guarding our bodies is important, time reveals that long after most physical wounds heal, the pain from word born bruises aches on. This is where the “nursery rhyme” breaks down...words often do hurt.

That is why we must let the voice of wisdom speak, especially when we are tempted to “let someone have it.” Whether a person is present or not, it is always wise to heed the Ephesians 4:15 call to only “speak the truth” and to always “do so in love.” After all, words were meant to usher in life not to be hurled around like Sticks and Stones.

Proverbs 12:18 “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

- Micah McElveen