Words that Wound, Words that Heal

{Affiliate links used.}

Once in awhile they all come flooding back...the words written and spoken about me that pierced my soul. I push them away. What good will it do to remember them? The words sharper than swords. But I can't totally forget them...once they have escaped the mouth of the speaker or the pen of the writer they cannot be taken back. Then there are the other words...ones that heal. The compliment. The words of appreciation. Life spoken into my life. Words that resurrect a soul wrecked by words.

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

We all have the power to use our words to hurt and heal others. We are "guilty" of both hurting and healing coming from the same mouth. How can we build others up instead of tearing them down? How can we heal another's hurts with our words?

Know you are loved by God. We can't show love to anyone with our words until we know how much we are loved. You simply can't give what you don't have. Over the past few years I have come to realize how vital it is to know how much I am loved by God. If I can grasp His love I can then give it away.

Search out the good. There are always positive traits even in the people we have a hard time loving. Go on a "scavenger hunt" to find those qualities about the other person that you can talk about to build them up.

Tell the truth. No one wants to be lied to. There does come a time when we have to "speak the truth in love". Make sure you are not angry or have a critical spirit about whatever you are going to address. Make sure it is in the best interest of the hearer what you want to say. It shouldn't be something that you want to get off your chest.

Ask for forgiveness. We all fail in the word department. The best thing to do when it happens? Ask for forgiveness from the offended party and work on the relationship to bring back trust. Have you asked for forgiveness and it isn't better? Hurtful words destroy trust which means you will have to work to build it back up again.

Resources about words:

Stopping Words That Hurt: Positive Words in a World Gone Negative-This book is very convicting and not for the faint of heart!

Conversation Peace: The Power of Transformed Speech-A Bible study for women.

Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All- I just recently read this book. You can read my review here.

Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions- How not to "vomit" your emotions on others.

War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Resources for Changing Lives)-This book by Paul David Tripp (an awesome author!) is on my to-read list. I LOVE his insight.