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They walk into my counseling office and bare the scars on their hearts.
They lean into me at blogging conferences and tell of unkind comments.
They confide in me over coffee–the lines still echoing all the way back to childhood.
I nod my head, understand.
“Reckless words pierce like a sword” (Proverbs 12:18).
Words can be weapons.
A careless remark. A bit of gossip. A little less sensitivity in a stress-filled moment. Do we know what we do to our sisters?
I sit alone and pray about this one day. I’ve become afraid of words–of what they can do. And it seems in the dark I sense a whisper, “Daughter, words can defend and protect too.”
It’s right there in our armor: “The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
We must choose how we wield our words.
In my heart I once pictured the enemy coming and a wounded woman on the ground behind me. I put my sword in front of her and said, “You can’t have her. She belongs to the King.” I still get goosebumps as I put those words on this page–because that is why I write. Because life is hard and we all fall and we need sisters who stand in the gap for us. Because words have the capacity to hold back evil, to bring forth life, to sustain, encourage, and unite us.
Words are powerful.
And if you think yours aren’t part of a battle much bigger than you, think again.
So what do we do with this knowing, this sword that’s in our hands? Sisters, let’s choose to put our words firmly on the side of the Kingdom–to use them to protect and never to harm. I’m raising my sword and pledging my allegiance to you and to the One Who Loves Us.
Will you join me?
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A Commitment of Words
We commit to using our words to defend and heal, not to harm.
We will not gossip.
We will not belittle.
We will guard our sisters by always speaking the best about them, encouraging them into all God would have them to be, and offering grace instead of condemnation.
We will be loyal and loving, remembering that even if we disagree we still fight on the same side–never against each other.
We will use our words to build up not tear down, to bring hope and not hurt.
We offer our words as a powerful weapon to fight for each other on the side of all that is good, right, and true.
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Women tell me of how words healed them.
They walk into my counseling office and share the encouragement planted in their hearts.
They lean into me at blogging conferences and tell of grace-giving comments.
They confide in me over coffee–the life-giving lines stretching all the way back to childhood.
Do we know what we do for our sisters?
Your words matter. They make a difference.
The choice is ours.
Sisters, let’s wield our s(words) in ways that change the world…starting with each other.
XOXO
this post was also featured on (in)courage
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Welcome to the Coffee for Your Heart weekly link-up! You’re an encourager so I’m asking you to pour out a little love with your words every Wednesday {link-up goes live at 5:30am CST}. Simply write an encouraging blog post and then share it here with us.
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I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth {click to tweet}
I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth
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