Have you ever unintentionally said something that hurt someone’s feelings and you wished that you had never said it?  Words are like squeezing toothpaste into a plate and then trying to put the toothpaste you poured out back into the tube – you can’t do it.  Once words are spoken, you have released into the air something that is either a blessing or a curse.  The Bible tells us that the power of life and death are in our tongue and that is so true.  What you speak to someone will either bless them or it will curse them so that is why we must put a muzzle over our mouth and pay attention to what we say to others.

We should always speak with grace, and that is hard to do because many times our feelings get in the way and we respond to people in the same way we are feeling at that moment.  We must remember that each person in our lives have been created by God and they were put into our lives for a purpose.  It is not our option to abuse or hurt them with our words because if we hurt them, we are also hurting our heavenly Father.  We should always think before we speak, and if we do, we will avoid the regret we will experience if we speak out of anger instead of love and respect.

I’m sure you have been on the receiving end of harsh words and I’m also sure you have been the one who has spoken harsh words.  Words are like arrows – they can pierce the heart and wound someone we care deeply about and, unfortunately, a spoken word is irretrievable.  Apologies have their merit, but an apology cannot erase the pain that has entered the heart of another person.

If you have said something that has hurt another person, ask God to give you the grace to go to that person and ask for forgiveness.  If you have been hurt by what another person has said to you, ask God to give you the grace to forgive and not try to retaliate against them.  We all make mistakes and we all know what it feels like to be hurt by words.  Pray that God will help you to speak to others as you would have them speak to you before you cause pain to someone else.  Remember, once you say it you can’t take it back!