By Sharon Chiellini Our words can bless or destroy. Whether verbal or written, once they have been expressed and received they can never be taken back. Why is it then, that people so carelessly throw them around as if they are temporary, trivial and inconsequential. The words of others somehow become like indelible tattoos written on the walls of our hearts. Graffiti that someone else placed there with or without our permission. Heart graffiti can be good or bad depending on the painter's intentions and the motive behind the words. The Bible tells us:
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:6
Ron Hutchcrafts of Ron Hutchcraft ministries compares words to bullets in his devotional entitled "Bullets You Can't Take Back":
"We've all felt the wounding power of someone else's reckless words. Then why do we all do the same thing - often to people we actually care about? Our angry, or reckless, or critical words are bullets - and it's all too easy to pull that trigger. In fact, it takes the help of God and our personal discipline to keep from firing off a round of wounding words. But once you pull that trigger, there's no way to get that round back. Long after you've forgotten what you said, that person is still feeling the hurt of it, still hearing it over and over again in their heart. The words take a moment; the wounds can last for years."
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14
I'm sure by now you are recalling a recent hurtful comment you either made or received or you are thinking about the words ...good or bad that you may have easily absorbed, even as a child, that played a part in molding you into the person you are today. Well, I will quickly leave the subject of hurtful heart graffiti behind as I have no more desire to dwell on it than you do, but promise me that you will always remember that Christ died on the cross so that our hearts could be clean again, and that includes graffiti. Do you recall having a toy called an Etch-A-Sketch? You could draw something and then move the
eraser thing from one side to the other and the picture would magically disappear leaving a clean slate? I think you get the picture. Allow god to move the eraser on your heart's Etch-A-Sketch.
I would like to move on to the real reason for my post and I have my friend Rosalie to thank because she inspired me last Wednesday. Words can edify, heal and bless even easier than they can wound because our hearts sooooo long to feel good. Don't they? My friend Rosalie is so appreciative of everything you do for her, or even the fact that you make time for her, and she is such a blessing to me. Wednesday night at choir she turned to me and said "You know, I really didn't feel like coming tonight, but I knew if I did, that I would see you, and I would be encouraged." How sweet is that?
All of my friends are an an encouragement to me each in their own special way. A couple of weeks ago I was feeling very discouraged, emotionally tired and tearful and I could feel Satantrying to get a stroghold. I emailed my friend Helen and asked her to pray for me. She replied that she would be more than happy to meet me for lunch if I wanted to talk. I responded telling her that I knew she had a very busy week coming up trying to prepare for her vacation. She replied "Sharon, I always have time for you! When can you meet me for lunch?"
"I always have time for you" ...those are words we could all use written on our hearts over and over. "I knew I would see you and I would be encouraged" I always have room for that one on the wall of my heart! I have found over the years that encouraging words work quite well at camouflaging and eventually erasing the heart graffiti you would like to forget. Over time they can make it disappear completely if you are willing to let it go. But it is important to fill your life with people that freely give encouragement and limit your time with those that have the opposite effect.
I'll admit I have a bad habit of being a little too sarcastic and I am convicted as I write this that there may be some heart graffiti out there that I am responsible for that I wish I could erase. My prayer is that I will put more effort into being conscious of the words Iwrite on the hearts of others and choose my words wisely. I also pray that the Lord continue to bless me with a life that is full of friends and family that are an encouragement to me and bless my heart. I pray He does the same for you.
So grab a colorful can of heart paint and get out there and do some good!
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Until next time my friend,
Strength and honor in Christ
