Day Seventy-Six

WORDS CAN HEAL

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

—PROVERBS 12:18 NIV

We have two options when we use our words: we can build or we can destroy.

I could tell you story after story of how someone’s words gave me life, built me up, strengthened me, brought healing. And I can tell you stories of how words have broken my heart.

They. Are. Powerful.

I know this because I’ve felt it over and over. But this one time in seventh grade left a defining mark on my heart. Words changed me forever.

That year my social studies teacher was Mr. Samson. His classroom had lots of windows, and the desks were squished together. I sat between two boys and behind my best friend. I watched one day as one of the boys borrowed a tiny green piece of paper from my friend Sarah and began to make some sort of list. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew that list was about me. I couldn’t see it, but watching him write told me everything. I was equal parts worried and curious.

Class ended. Mark ripped the green paper into tiny squares, and as he walked out of the classroom, he dropped them in the trash can. After the classroom cleared, I slowly packed up, and with Mr. Samson’s eyes following my every move, I knelt down and scooped up those tiny squares from the trash and shoved them into the left front pocket of my acid-wash jeans. (The nineties, y’all.)

We have two options when we use our words: we can build or we can destroy.

I got home that afternoon, and after dinner I went upstairs to my room and spread those squares out across the carpeted floor. Like completing some type of evil puzzle, I mixed and matched pieces until the frayed edges met and the words began to come together. I taped the pieces as they lined up, and since the pieces were so small, the paper started to feel laminated with Scotch tape.

I began to read the text in that classic middle school dude, chicken-scratch handwriting. It was a list of every girl in our class with one word used to describe them.

I zeroed in on my own name. And my line looked like this:

Annie = Flabby

I know you’ve had words hurt you, like I have. Because if you are a human person, you have experienced the pain of words firsthand.

I know because I’ve been a human person my whole life. And I’ve known a lot of human people. And I’ve talked to a lot of human people. And I’ve been mean to human people.

Look at today’s verse. Reckless words? They hurt. But words can heal too. Brave people don’t gossip and use their words to hurt others.

Brave people use their words to heal. Speaking with kindness about other people’s hearts and minds and bodies can go a long way to heal. Brave people let God’s Word and the words of the wise bring healing to their own hearts. May you see the healing, feel the healing, that comes from the tongue of the wise.

BE BRAVE: Who could you speak to today to offer some healing?