Words – Words can be a wonderful thing, to hear, to speak, communicate lovingly, to encourage, build up, strengthen, praise, show respect and to sing. Yet they can also be used in a way to hurt, to tear down, to manipulate, to disable, to destroy, to rend and tear.
The old saying ‘sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never harm you’ is such a false statement and sadly the opposite is normally what we hear from people, from propaganda, from naysayers and so on.
I remember years ago, while going to work in a local supermarket, we had to sit through 4 hours of boring videos about the company and how they operate and such like. One of the things that I learned is that when people were doing surveys about the company they always commented in the negative, it was always something about what they were unhappy about and always found something to complain and belittle.
And sadly, the same is true in life. There is always something negative to be heard or said. It’s like Marmite, some love it and some love to hate it and there’s always something to hate, to dislike, to judge, to condemn and so on.
So, what am I getting at and why am I writing?
Well the truth is, in January 2020 I received some cutting words, from a fellow believer that led me to the point of considering suicide.
Words such as: To see there salvation means Everthing to you that is the love of jesus accusations yes but your heart is too hard your not cut out for minestry Yes I'm judging its what I see’,
OR
by you clearly don't believe scripture you did not even know the difference between the Bema and the Great White throne You need to go to collage God opens your understanding You can't except the Gospel was made simple so everyone could get save, you can understand John 3 v 16 no wonder your minestries are no existent your puffed up with Grammer pride no wonder God has not used you to reach the poor. I have seen 6 people come to christ through my minestry in the last 4 months, how many have you seen You my friend need to humble your self stop looking for other peoples opinion and search the bible for your self Then God might use you’.
These are just some of the nastiness i received but lets not get into that.
These words may not mean much to some, but to me it was a pierce to my heart. I felt destroyed, broken and humiliated by these very words, I just wanted to end my life and was in a complete mind daze. And the sad reality is, that it happens all the time. Personally, I have forgiven the guy but it has taken me 9 months to even consider trusting anyone (including God) with my hurts and fears.
Over the 22 years of being a Christian man, I have seen so many people get hurt by words. And if I’m honest I have also dished out a few myself. In my misfocused religious zeal (yes there is such a thing) for which we often cry ‘I’m doing this in love’ to justify what we say and do, it’s so easy to get puffed up with self-righteous piety while using the Scriptures to justify our theological (but unloving) opinion to try to re-educate, correct & return people to what we consider a Godly way of living and maturing. And in doing so we often leave more damage than was there In the first place.
So, how do we overcome such things, how do we piece the pieces back together like a jigsaw?I have to be honest again here and say that overall i was blaming God for not protecting me. Where was His promises to me, one of His children, where was the peace, where was the protection, where was He. Walking the walk of faith for so long i just didnt expect this sort of attack on me, and for God to allow it, well......
I soon realised with God's silence that we don't or shouldnt try to fix things while going through these hurts. We need to take time out to let these words fade and let God step into our lives. We need to let God work in His way of dealing with these hurts. It may seem a mad suggestion but the Covid outbreak gave me time out and was actually a blessing. On furlough for 3 months of silence from the noise of the world to hear and see God in ways i never expected, i spent this time doing my beekeeping and watching God work in nature in ways inexpected. I also remember standing in the kitchen speaking to a friend on the phone and him asking had i heard anything from God and my answer being nothing, but then it struck me. all this time i had been singing an old Christian childrens song (Jesus loves me, also my favourite) over the months and God had been giving peace to my heart through these words since the initial breakdown. I was in tears let me tell you and the peace that came from this recognition that behind it all, Jesus was always there. It brought light to my heart and began to snap me out of the hurt that was holding me down.
So, whatever your going threw, whatever has knocked you down and is keeping you there. Turn to the one who wants to help you more than anyone else ever can.
For the Bible tells me so (tells me)
So (tells me so)
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak but he is strong
Oh, yes Jesus loves me (loves me so)
Yes, Jesus loves me
For the Bible tells me so (tells me so), so glad
Always guide me, Lord, I pray
Undeserving, and stubbornly
Never fail to love me still
Oh yes, Jesus loves me (loves me)
Oh yes, Jesus loves me
For the Bible tells me so (loves me so, and I know)
(Loves me)
Yes, Jesus loves me, love
Oh yes, Jesus loves me
For the Bible tells me so
(I know I am loved)
For the Bible tells me so
(Feels so good to know)
Ooh, that I'm never alone
See, sometimes I'm lonely but…JESUS LOVES ME.
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