The Vile Weapon of the Tongue
The corruption that reveals the heart’s condition
In sixth grade, an adult I respected named me “ugly.” This adult did not use the word as an adjective, but as a moniker that the boys in class quickly picked up on and added to their repertoire. For a good portion of that year, I had a different name.
By the time my stepmom stormed to school and gave this respected adult a piece of her mind, the damage was done. As a child who already struggled with self-worth, the addition of that name did a number on me.
I imagine quite a few adults have similar stories. Something someone said in our childhood sticks with us as a false truth. Whether intentionally planted, carelessly flung, or the result of the everyday cruelty of childhood doesn’t matter. It’s like a sandbur that gets deep into the fabric of your sock — hard to see and get out, but it hurts like the dickens.
Whether or not we like it, words have power. That power does not invite censorship from government entities or organizations, but the recognition that we must take personal responsibility for the words we utter and bolster our identities in Christ for armor.
Word-power
There are two sides to word-power. The word-wielder and the word-receiver. Word-wielders sling cruel…
