Sticks and Stones
Happy Friday friends and welcome to On Fridays, We Clean.
Has anyone ever noticed how powerful words are? I know I have and I am sure you have, too. Words have the power to heal, encourage, cut, bring hope, inspire, and disappoint. Whoever came up with that old children’s rhyme “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a straight liar! Words aren’t just words, but words become thoughts and influence the way we think.
I’ve noticed something else. Words sometimes hurt the most, depending on who says them. If some random stranger tells me I have ugly curly hair, I might feel some type of way for a second, but it’s also not going to be the be-all-end-all. Now if my mom, boyfriend or someone I love says that to me, I might be wounded because their words matter to me, especially if they keep repeating it over and over again. What they think of me and what they say to me matters because of who they are in my life. They have a certain level of influence and their words carry weight. The words they speak over me or the words I speak over myself become thoughts and can take root in my heart. This is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what type of words and thoughts I am letting take root in my heart. However, if they don’t line up with His Word and His thoughts of me then I am in trouble.
Recently I was talking to a friend and they shared with me some unfortunate words that were spoken over them. After they shared the things that were said that hurt them, we both realized it hurt so much because of who that person is in their life. It also hurt because it’s not the first time those words have been spoken over them and now those words have become thoughts that have taken root in their heart. Those words have become what they believe about themself. My mom told me a few days ago that the verse “life and death is in the tongue” means that if we repeat something over and over that the people we’re talking to will start to believe it, as in the case with my friend. Words aren’t just words. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Your words can bring life or death to your own or another’s life.
As we enter into the New Year, I couldn’t help but think of my personal word for the current year, 2022. My personal word for 2022 was “goodness” which came from Galatians 5:22 and Psalm 27:13. Now if I’m honest, when I first got the word “goodness” I thought it meant I was going to see the goodness of God in a materialistic way like, I was going to receive all these physical blessings. I did see the goodness of God in that way this year however, that word “goodness” actually meant something greater. Throughout this year I have seen that God is the very essence of goodness. They are one in the same. He is good and He is goodness. I learned that it was more than the physical blessings, it was the mirroring of the two together and seeing Him differently. I can now see that His nature is good even if the circumstances He allows don’t always feel good.
Every year, maybe around October, I begin to ask the Holy Spirit what is my personal word for the upcoming year. My word for 2023 is Joy! I’m looking forward to seeing how that unfolds throughout 2023 and I also am going to start saying the word joy out loud and let it invade my thoughts and heart.
If you’re reading this blog post and don’t believe in Jesus, that’s okay. Welcome to On Fridays, We Clean and know that the thoughts of the King of the world toward you outnumber the grains of sand. He loves you and wants to get to know you.
Next steps for all of us:
What words/ thoughts have been spoken over you that you are believing that are not true? The Bible says to take captive every thought and make them obedient to Christ. You have a decision to make when it comes to words being spoken over you by others and yourself. You can either let them become thoughts that take root in your heart and life or not.
What is your personal word for the New Year?
We love you, Jesus and me.
