Words!

By: Ginny Holcombe

“Sticks and stones make break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” How many times did we hear or even say this as children? However, as adults we know this is not true. Words can cut more deeply than any other weapon humankind has ever invented.

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. James 3:5-6 (The MSG).

I lived for over thirty years in a situation where I was belittled, ridiculed, and demeaned by words. I know how the wounds words can inflict on a soul. The worst result is when you begin to believe the words that you hear and repeat them to yourself. “Oh, I can’t do anything right.” “I am not worth loving.” “If anyone knew the real me, they wouldn’t have anything to do with me.” I told myself this and so much more for so long that it became who I was. Words do wound and ultimately destroy our very souls. I had no confidence in myself and it kept me from being the person God created me to be.

Words can also encourage, bring healing, and uplift a person who is hurting. They are beautiful expressions of God’s love for each of us.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb:
sweet to the taste and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24 (HCSB)

After my divorce, God brought so many wonderful people into my life to encourage and heal me. People who used words of love, caring, and encouragement to show me who I am in God’s eyes. Today, whenever those old words of condemnation rear their ugly heads, I whisper a prayer to God and He brings to mind the thoughts He has about me. “I am a child of the King.” “I am His beloved.” “I am unique and created for a purpose.” “Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I am becoming a woman of confidence. Not self-confidence, but confident as a daughter of a loving Father who was created for a purpose and who is loved beyond all measure.

What words are you saying to yourself today? If they are words of condemnation or words that belittle you, give them to God. Allow Him to whisper His words of love and encouragement to you. Remember, you are His child and no one can change that. Believe God’s truths not the world’s lies. Allow Him to be your confidence and He will lift you to places you could never imagine.

“Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8 (The MSG).