Hey everyone! Welcome back to The Quoted Blog! In today's post, I want to explain some reasons why your words can hurt.
Have you ever told someone that they are mean, weird, dumb, stupid...or called them a name of any kind that is hurtful? Our tongues are the most damaging things ever. You might never know how what you say about someone might affect them. That is why we need to control our tongues.
Let's take a look at a Bible verse really quickly. Proverbs 13:3 says, "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."
I really like this Bible verse. It is basically saying that if you guard your mouth your life will be saved, but if you don't watch what you say, you will come to ruin.
Everyone has probably heard the saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." And, everyone probably knows that this saying is not true. Words will always have an impact. This is so because you will never know how someone can take a mean word said to them.
For example, if you tell someone that they are "fat," they will most likely take it personally. That one comment could ruin them enough to make them want to lose weight. And, one of the ways that people lose weight is by starving themselves.
Now, I don't think anyone wants someone to starve themselves, so maybe it's better not to say that anyone is "fat." Maybe it's better to not say anything mean at all. Maybe it's better not to say anything offensive.
At the end of the day, you don't know what someone is going through, and you should always be aware of that. That's why gossip isn't okay. You should never talk about someone behind their back, and you shouldn't be unkind.
What do people ever gain from being mean? Why do people feel inclined to say something rude to someone? Like, why is hating a thing? (I also asked this question in my book, and it's a good question. How did hating ever become a thing?)
I can answer the question,"how did hating ever become a thing?" right now. Hating became a thing when sin entered the world. Take it from Joseph. His brothers envied him because he got the rainbow robe, and he got more attention. In fact, his brothers hated him enough to throw him into a hole and walk away.
What happened to Joseph is actually a really great example to us today. The things he went through after his brother's sold him to slavery are a huge example of how God turns bad things into something good.
I love how Joseph forgave his brothers. We should learn to forgive as well.
Your words can hurt. They really can. If you take anything away from this blog post at all, I want it to be that "words can hurt." I want you to remember that always.
Next time you feel the need to say something mean, hold the word back. Please don't hurt other people, and be kind with everything you say and do! You aren't going to do that perfectly, and neither am I, but at least you can try.
More Bible verses I wanted to share...
-1 Peter 3:10, For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;
-James 1:26, If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.
-James 3:1-12, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ...
-Proverbs 18:21, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Read more Bible verses about holding your tongue here: https://www.openbible.info/topics/control_your_tongue
Thank you so much for reading today's blog post. I hope it was a good reminder to be careful of what you say to others. Let's encourage one another, and uplift one another! Who ever found any pleasure from bringing others down! Let's build others up, and be a good example for everyone. ~Ella
(By the way, the cover image was found on Pinterest; walmart.com, and I used a picture of the album cover for Olivia Rodrigo's album coming out soon. I just thought it was a good picture to go with the topic because she is sticking her tongue out. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that made sense. I'm so excited for her album to come out!)
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