Em-pulse

As a child, we all have heard this phrase:  “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  As adults, we have also come to realize that that is a lie!  Words do hurt, and they can hurt worse and leave deeper scars than sticks or stones could ever could at times.  If words didn’t hurt, the Bible would not have as many verses as it does about taming the toungue and how the tounge can be a weapon (just take a look in Proverbs!  Verses about tongues are EVERYWHERE!).  This has got me thinking.  As Andrew and begin preparing for work in full-time ministry, even currently at Journey,  people can say some pretty mean and hurtful things.  They don’t like what we are doing, they tell us we are stupid, arrogant and doing things the wrong way, and sometimes people are just flat out mean!  I realize that as we get closer and closer to our “departure date” to leave to plant God’s church elsewhere, we will, without a doubt, encounter more hurtful words, perhaps even some from friends and family we love (to an extent, we already have).  When you feel called to do something a bit differant, crazy, out of the box, many may look on you with disapproval, and sometimes, even disgust.  However, when it comes to choosing between having hurtful words said at you or following God’s will, I think I will choose God’s will.  The truth is people, when we follow the Lord, whatever that may be He is calling us to do, we WILL have words thrown at us that hurt.  However, rememeber the tongue is a tool that Satan uses to discourage us from proceeding with God’s plan, a way to make us question “should I really be doing this?”  Satan does not want the gospel spread, people to come to Christ, MORE passionate Christ followers. . .so he will try and do whatever it takes to stop it.  I encourage you to pray hard when facing words that hurt.  We ALL will encounter this at sometime in our lives, and I am sure that many of us already have.  However, even though words hurt and sticks and stones, do as a matter of fact, still break our bones, nothing compares to the armor and protection that we can experience with God.  Now, I am not saying that as Christ-followers, God will not allow us to struggle, allow hurt, allow discouraging words, BUT, with God on our side, and the battle already won, we know that we will walk way from the fight a winner, no matter how many sticks and stones are thrown our direction!