If you were born in the late 1950s you may remember reciting these words “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me. I believed this strand of nonsense when I was a young child. I convinced myself that since it was repeated so often the philosophy must be right, right? At 10 years old, while I parroted the famous line announcing myself as bulletproof, I believed that mere words would not harm me.
By my early teen years, I began questioning many well-known expressions and wive’s tails A seed of doubt was planted regarding the veracity of the simple saying regarding sticks and stones. The truth dawned that although words and phrases are spoken often, repetition does not make them true. I also realized harsh and negative words can potentially cause exponentially more harm than a stick or stone.
When I refer to words, I am not just addressing those that come as a snarky remark made by a coworker, spouse, or friend. Those words certainly do have the capacity to end a friendship or lead to a fractured marriage. What comes to my mind as I am writing this blog are words that infiltrate my news feed, my desktop, and my TV. Words of fear-mongering, blaming, and hopelessness. Words that might coerce me to hide our savings under the mattress or pack up and move to Borneo (wherever that is!)
Voices are calling for the celebration of those things that are contrary to the truth found in the never-changing word of God. Words that warn us of global upheaval, dissolution of financial safety nets, wars, and rumors of wars. Those words can destroy our peace as powerfully as sticks and stones have hurt our fragile bodies.
How often do we (regardless of your political bent) hear the economy is tanking or our environment is on a slippery slope? We are told that women, men, and children are losing their inalienable rights, and Social Security and Medicare will be bankrupt by the time baby boomers need those benefits. To add to the cacophony of voices, we hear eggs are really good for you, or is it eggs are life killers? Will we ever really know the answer to that one?
As believers, we’ve been forewarned about darker days that are coming to this planet. Anyone who has read the book of Revelation in the Bible is not shocked as policies are passed that place more value on a polar bear and its plight in this world than an unborn human being. Revelations 8:13
There’s a plethora of examples that point towards dark days, but reader, I trust you know where I am heading with this. It is not my wish that my voice joins in with the others crying out gloom and doom. Our father is not taken aback by our current circumstances, he is neither surprised nor unprepared. He knew what would come to this planet and the enemy would use words to lead us into fear, away from peace and trust. His promises overshadow and overpower the schemes of our enemy. John 8:44
If I am not careful, I can very easily fall into the “woe is me” trap. Very quickly, I can jump onto a slip-and-slide of downward thought and preoccupation of all that is wrong in this world. The downpour of words, spoken and written becomes like a battering ram to my peace and joy. They are a detour that leads to anxiety and fear and a “gaper’s block” that slows down the sanctification process my Savior has promised. Mathew 6:25-34. Revelation 21:1-5
When words do hurt me, they lead me away from still waters and draw me to an anxiety that overshadows what I know to be true. I look at the example Jesus left for us. How did he handle tempting and discouraging words that came from the mouth of the father of lies? Even our Lord, who was fully God and man, needed weapons to prevent words from piercing His shield of faith. He used the sword of truth, the very word of God. Mathew 4:1-11. Ephesians 6:10-17
If words have the power to pull us down into a bottomless pit, then certainly, the infallible, soothing Word of God has weaved in it the power to generate hope and create a peace that passes all understanding. It can change a heart that craves self-protection into one that looks to others’ needs above our own.
Philippians 2:3-4
We have many choices to make every single day. These include what clothing to wear, what we invite to penetrate our thoughts, or allow the window of our heart and soul to gaze. As clothes protect us from exposure to the elements, so wise choices protect us from the noisy voices that focus on fear and despair. Do we open or close the door to the constant clatter of discontent with the world around us? Do we let the shifting sands of opinions and news cycles determine the state of our heart, the state of our faith? Matthew 11:28-30
In Jesus’ final prayer for His disciples, He does not ask that they be taken out of this world, but that they would be protected from the enemy. Paul writes in Romans that we are not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are not of this world, but in this world, therefore we must use weapons against our enemies that are not of this world. John 17:14-19 Romans 12:2
Now more than any other time in my 68 years of life, I need the plumb line of God’s word to measure the straight from the crooked, the dark from light and truth versus lies of the enemy. I need His words and His presence to infuse in me the peace that passes all understanding. Philippians 4:6-8
Finally, let us all saturate our souls with his living water so that there is no room for our enemy to steal our peace. No room in our minds for him to poach, to stake a claim against the firm foundation of our faith.
Shalom,
Karen
Enjoy this fun song from Crowder, it reminds us that this is not our home.
Amen to that, sister!
Karen- Yes, it is true that I have at times “let the shifting sands of opinions and news cycles determine the state of my heart, (and if I’m not careful), the state of my faith”. That is until I bring to mind that Jesus said, “Take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)!