SPOKEN, BUT NOT IN LOVE. Not everyone says kindly what’s on their mind. When they speak their hurtful word, is it okay to walk away and think of them thereafter as resting among the dead? Photo by Helga Weber/flickr.
I KNEW I HAD A TOUGH WEEK AHEAD when I wrote the blog article: Psalm for one tough day.That’s why I wrote it. I was suiting up.
I don’t know if it helped.
We can strap on all the Bible verses we want, along with the
belt of truth.
body armor of God’s righteousness.
shoes of peace.
shield of faith.
helmet of salvation. Ephesians 6:14-17
They can’t stop a single hurtful word. They can’t even slow it down.
The hurtful word hits us like we’re standing naked on a stage.
People speak the hurtful word when they are trying to get their way.
The sour truth about a hurtful word is that once it is spoken, it cannot be unspoken.
I heard a hurtful word not too long ago.
I did not speak.
I listened. I felt. I thought.
Then I found myself wondering about the unpardonable sin because forgiveness did not feel like an option.
It didn’t feel reasonable, justifiable, or even possible.
Those who blaspheme God’s Spirit will not be forgiven, neither in this world nor in the world to come. Matthew 12:32
I know that verse is talking about the Holy Spirit, the third entity in the Trinity. But I remember something Paul wrote:
God’s Spirit lives in you. 1 Corinthians 3:16
As I reflect on hurtful words I’ve heard, I wonder if it’s okay to consider them unforgivable when they demean the spirit within us…the spirit of you and me that is living with the Spirit of God.
It’s a stretch too far, I’m pretty sure.
Still, the fact remains that a hurtful word lives as long as the memories of those who hear it.
Try as we might to forget it, ignore it, or pray it away, it remains a part of us.
We may call it forgiven, if we must. But I’m not sure that forgiven is the right descriptor when the word remains within us – vicious, painful, and anchored.
Maybe sometimes the most effective treatment for dealing with a hurtful word isn’t scripture, prayer, or conversation. Maybe it’s distance from the speaker.
Stay away from a fool,
for you will not find knowledge on their lips. Proverbs 14:7
A dartboard might help, too. I’m still looking for that Bible reference.
Random book winner this week
Carlton Robbins.
I give away one free book a week to a randomly selected subscriber to my free blog and quarterly newsletter.
Carlton is random this week.
The post What to do with a hurtful word appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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