Anybody ever do you wrong...with their words?
Trick question. I know the answer.
Because if you’re breathing, somebody somewhere at some time has said something that hurt you.
Words, as it turns out, and as you probably already know, stick with you for days or months or even years.
Like the lady at the preschool my daughter attended, who saw me buttoning up her coat at the door one day. She looked at my precious three-year old and said, “What a beautiful little girl!” And right after I thanked her, she looked into my face and added, “She must look like her daddy.”
I am not making this up.
And that was 36 years ago.
Or from Ex-Boyfriend who, when we were going through a tough time, said, “I don’t know why I keep hanging around you. You’re sure not the prettiest girl I’ve ever been out with.”
Oh yes he did.
And that was 46 years ago.
Or how about the kid in my kindergarten class who (because I was tall for my age) insisted on calling me "Big Truck"?
61 everlovin' years ago.
I'm sure that you know how it feels, because someone has lobbed a few zingers at you, too. In fact, you're probably thinking of one or two at this very moment--words that have been festering in some corner of your mind for a long time.
Because hurtful words are powerful.
But so are kind words, wise words and encouraging words.
And now more than ever, we're in need of kindness and wisdom and encouragement, right?
So what if we took to heart Proverbs 16:24, which says,
What if we made a conscious decision today to offer up complimentary words?
Sweetness and healing to the bones. That's what would happen. Guaranteed.
Jill Baughan