"Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me."
This is one of the biggest lies we were taught as children. We sang it faithfully when other children said ugly things to us when we were young. The truth is: Words hurt then and they hurt today. Words are powerful. Very powerful. Words shape our belief, they mold us into who we are. Words can cause a positive or negative change in a person's life.
As believers, we know that we should never gossip or backbite, but most of us, at sometime has found ourselves caught up in it. Most would say that they never gossip or backbite, but I challenge you to be honest with yourself and think of conversations present and past which have had no edification value. Think of conversations where you said something about a person that you would not say directly to them because you knew it would hurt their feelings, was not flattering, to avoid confrontation or was not positive in any way. If you can think of either of those types of conversations, then yes, you (like most of us) have been guilty. You would think that none of us would engage in such conversations or even listen to them when we know how painful it is to be the topic of such conversations. But we do it all the time.
Oftentimes the topic is someone famous or infamous. We forget that they are "real" people with real feelings. It's so easy to go from current events to current hearsay and gossip. I wonder how unbelievers perceive us when we go on conversation rampages about the latest celebrity gossip? Some of these people are the most picked on people on the planet. Nothing they do goes uncriticized. Can you imagine how this can kill the spirit? Some of them, no doubt, do die emotionally and spiritually. They begin not to care anymore because of the atrocities that are repeated about them over and over again! I cannot imagine the pain they must feel. We should make it our business to pray for these souls that make the tabloid headlines.
Meditate on the word: backbiting. Without even looking in Webster's the word is self explanatory. We know that if someone or something bites enough flesh off of your back, it can send you into shock and kill you due to the loss of blood and flesh. Not to mention the shock and excruciating pain during the time the backbiting takes place. Even if you survive something eating chunks of flesh off your back, it takes time to recuperate. You could end up sick with a fever and delirious or you might even be bedridden for a while. You most definitely would have unsightly scars to remind you of the attack for the rest of your life. What's even more astonishing is how similar the literal results of backbiting are to how it feels spiritually and emotionally when you’re a victim.
If we, as sons and daughters of The Father, can remember the pain we felt through such an ordeal, maybe we'll be a little kinder to our brothers and sisters when they become victims of this vicious practice. Maybe we will choose not to join in or laugh with the group at someone else's expense. Maybe we'll choose to do the right thing. Maybe we'll even turn the conversation around. Maybe we'll pray The Father for strength and direction when such a situation comes up. Let us show love one to the other!
Peace, blessings and much respect!
As believers, we know that we should never gossip or backbite, but most of us, at sometime has found ourselves caught up in it. Most would say that they never gossip or backbite, but I challenge you to be honest with yourself and think of conversations present and past which have had no edification value. Think of conversations where you said something about a person that you would not say directly to them because you knew it would hurt their feelings, was not flattering, to avoid confrontation or was not positive in any way. If you can think of either of those types of conversations, then yes, you (like most of us) have been guilty. You would think that none of us would engage in such conversations or even listen to them when we know how painful it is to be the topic of such conversations. But we do it all the time.
Oftentimes the topic is someone famous or infamous. We forget that they are "real" people with real feelings. It's so easy to go from current events to current hearsay and gossip. I wonder how unbelievers perceive us when we go on conversation rampages about the latest celebrity gossip? Some of these people are the most picked on people on the planet. Nothing they do goes uncriticized. Can you imagine how this can kill the spirit? Some of them, no doubt, do die emotionally and spiritually. They begin not to care anymore because of the atrocities that are repeated about them over and over again! I cannot imagine the pain they must feel. We should make it our business to pray for these souls that make the tabloid headlines.
Meditate on the word: backbiting. Without even looking in Webster's the word is self explanatory. We know that if someone or something bites enough flesh off of your back, it can send you into shock and kill you due to the loss of blood and flesh. Not to mention the shock and excruciating pain during the time the backbiting takes place. Even if you survive something eating chunks of flesh off your back, it takes time to recuperate. You could end up sick with a fever and delirious or you might even be bedridden for a while. You most definitely would have unsightly scars to remind you of the attack for the rest of your life. What's even more astonishing is how similar the literal results of backbiting are to how it feels spiritually and emotionally when you’re a victim.
If we, as sons and daughters of The Father, can remember the pain we felt through such an ordeal, maybe we'll be a little kinder to our brothers and sisters when they become victims of this vicious practice. Maybe we will choose not to join in or laugh with the group at someone else's expense. Maybe we'll choose to do the right thing. Maybe we'll even turn the conversation around. Maybe we'll pray The Father for strength and direction when such a situation comes up. Let us show love one to the other!
Peace, blessings and much respect!
