Mean What You Say - Part 3

I don't need to hurt with my hands

I could find some value, destroy it with my mouth

Hey, could you ever love again?

To iterate what I said in Part 1 of this series, hatred comes in three general forms. Violence, the way we treat one another, and the way we speak to them. The power is in us to destroy a person’s life with our hands, but we don’t even need to do that. We can destroy a person’s life just by what we say to them. And once you do that, you establish a pattern. And when you continue to knock people down and say hateful things to them, one has to wonder...is a person with that much hate in their hearts even capable of love?

The answer is yes, but more on that in a minute.

From the womb, we're taught

You make a sound, I walk

You better mean what you say

You better mean what you say

With words like drugs

We speak 'em hard like we know what one does

Hatred doesn’t come out of nowhere. Yes, we’re all born with the potential for it, but our background contributes to it. From the moment we’re born, we’re bombarded with all sorts of things that shape us and make us who we are. And a lot of those are BAD things. Even a normal, everyday person still says careless, thoughtless things, a lot times in judgment of a person. We assume someone who has different views on something than we do is ridiculous for having that view, and in some instances, we even think less of them for it. And then we belittle that person, not taking into account what those words can do them.

I don't need to hurt with my hands

I could find some value, destroy it with my mouth

Hey, could you ever love again?

Words cut. Words hurt. Words kill.

I regret the things I've said

Could you ever love again?

The answer is YES.

Despite all the things we’ve said, despite the hatred we carry in our hearts, we CAN love again. And that love comes from God. We live in a fallen, sinful world, but we serve a God who loves us, created us and wants us to be reconciled to Him. But He won't help unless we ask. God does not force Himself on us. He gives us free will to accept or reject Him. If we accept Him, and integrate Him into our everyday lives, He will make all things new. He will literally change our hearts, and the hatred will dissipate. If we reject Him, we will continue to hate. Sadly, most people choose the latter, and as a result, we shouldn't be surprised when the world goes crazy. That choice doesn't have to be yours.

The next time you’re angry at someone, for whatever reason, before you fire back at them, think about what you're about to  say them. Think about the impact your words could have on them. It could be minimal, but it could be monumental.

Words cut. Words hurt. Words kill. 

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.” 1 Peter 3:10

Mean what you say.