Harsh Words 

By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach. ~Winston Churchill

Many years ago when I was in college I was working in retail.  I was young and just starting out in my journey of life.  My major in college was fashion merchandising and I was required to do an internship in order to graduate and the internship had to be in retail.  I had a manager at the store where I currently worked who decided to send me to a training course in Baton Rouge for a week.  The course was on merchandising where I would receive hands on training. 

Several months after I completed my training, my school counselor asked me if I would be interested in completing my internship in another store in town.  This particular store would allow me to train with a buyer, but also in every department in the store.   The additional experience and exposure would be beneficial to my degree so I decided to quit my current job and take the internship. The internship would mean I would work for three months without pay but I felt the experience I gained would be invaluable. 

I went to my current manager to turn in my resignation and this is what she told me.  She said that I would never amount to anything and that I would fail.  I will never forget her words.  I understood that she was angry because she paid for me to go to training and it meant she would have to train someone again for the position. 

Have you ever had someone tell you something that cut to your heart?  Hurtful words often cause more damage than if you just hit the person.  At least if someone smacked you, the black eye would eventually fade but sometimes the hurtful words that we say can cause damage that may never heal.  

I am happy to say that this woman's words did not harm me permanently and I was able to get past them but sometimes we need to look and listen to ourselves as we speak to others because sometimes the wounds we cause others are as harsh as this woman's words were to me. 


Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of saying things I don't mean and hurting others in the process.  Please help me to think before I speak and to look at the other person with compassion before I respond.  I don't have to respond to every argument I am invited to, so please help me to treat others as you have treated me with grace and mercy. 

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