We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. James 3:2 NIV

The old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is one hundred percent FALSE. Fake news. Fuhgeddaboutit! Words have power, and the way we communicate matters.

When our kids were toddlers and prone to tantrums, we constantly reminded them to, “Use your words!” At the time we were encouraging them to use words to communicate their immediate needs/desires instead of throwing a fit or lashing out at the nearest person or thing. As they’ve gotten older we’ve adjusted the directive to, “Use your words wisely.” They have many, many, (possibly too many?) words now, and instead of lashing out physically when frustrated, more often than not they use their words as weapons…as teenagers and siblings are inclined to do! 

When one of the kids has weaponized their words against a sibling, we remind them of three things: 

1. Not everything that comes into your brain should go out of your mouth. There’s a time to speak up and a time to zip the lip, and it takes wisdom and lots of self-control to know the difference. An Integrated faith helps!

2. Your words have power. Use them for good and not evil!

3. Do your best to make amends. Words already spoken are impossible to get back, but we can sincerely apologize and do better next time.

These things carry over to adulthood, because no one on earth has ever been able to successfully tame their tongue. The internet has given us all a virtual voice, too, and that’s just as hard to control! It’s easier to weaponize our voices against each other instead of arming them with light and love when there are screens to hide behind, but what we say and how we say it matters, even online.

Words tied to strong emotion have stuck with me my whole life. I wish I could keep the uplifting words and forget the crushing ones, but that’s not how our minds work, is it? Words have weight, and living a life with faith Integrated means we’re to be mindful of the words we speak. We can’t control the words of others, but we are in charge of our own. Your challenge today is twofold: 1. Is there someone from whom you need to ask forgiveness for weaponized words? If so, ask! 2. Ask God to help you be aware of opportunities to use your words to build another up today!