by John Ojeda | June 27, 2016
The old saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break bones but words will never hurt me.” Uh, yeah…they do!
In school I was a stoner and a bit of a bully. I didn’t mean to be, but I just didn’t care much. If you didn’t hang with me getting high, I was not very nice. I was going through life’s stuff, and I dealt with it by doing a lot of drugs; everyone else was either with me or against me.
Fast forward 30 years, and I am so sorry for those I pushed away or never gave a chance to become a friend. I know now that others were going through life’s stuff, too, and my words, my remarks did hurt.
So how do I fix it? Well, on July 16, 1988, I cleaned up off of drugs and alcohol. In 1995, I got involved in ministry.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Romans 12:1-5)
I can’t fix all of my hurtful past, but through Christ I can change my future. I am sorry for everyone I hurt. I am a changed man who loves people today.
Please remember people, sticks and stones can hurt but your tongue can kill.
Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21)