The Other Side: Of Hurtful Words, 2

Last week we started to look at Proverbs 26:2 and the relationship between this passage and hurtful words without cause:

Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow to its flying, so a curse without cause does not come to nest (Proverbs 26:2).

This passage actually gives us a terrific word picture.  One meant to illustrate how we should respond when we’re on the “other side” of wounding words.  Words, which we can’t seem to un-do the damage of, because we keep re-living them.  Words that were meant to cut deeply – and did!  Words, that after evaluation, didn’t hold any merit, were nothing more than empty, wasted air, except that their arrow struck deep into our hearts and minds.  They absolutely hit the mark. 

Here’s the illustration.  The passage wants us to picture a small bird looking for a place to nest.  However, for one reason or another, the bird can’t find a resting place.  Instead of settling in on the branch of some tree, it can’t stop flitting from place to place. 

Words without cause need to be treated just like those birds.  Instead of offering them a branch on the tree of our heart, shoo them away; and, for heaven’s sake, don’t build them a bird house and put out seed each morning (instead, you might consider putting up a scare crow…).  In other words, don’t keep mentally going back over the conversation.  Quit picking at the scab and opening the wound.  What a waste of good energy that could be used for Kingdom work.  That’s why the enemy keeps shooting those words on fiery darts into the battlefield of your mind.  He knows how distracting dwelling on our own hurts can be!  The sage of Proverbs is trying to give us a soothing salve of healing help – wisdom for wise living.  In contrast, continuing to live in the pain of past conversations is considered foolishness.  Oh, how I don’t want to be foolish!

In case that word picture isn’t enough, Solomon gives us another one a little further down in the chapter:  As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. (Proverbs 26:11).  Seriously, does that not gross you out?  Well, so should returning over and over again to the words without cause that we let disturb us – over and over and over again.  When we do; we are that dog! Ick!

I’m a visual person.  So, this morning in my journal, I jotted down some words I’ve recently heard spoken in reference to me.  I sat with them for a bit.  What I needed to confess, I’ve confessed and given back to Jesus to cleanse.  I’ve sincerely written a thank you note to the person who helped me see correcting truth.  However, there are other words, which have gotten back to me, that really don’t hold water.  On those words, I drew wings, and I’ve sent them on their way. 

So, if you’re in that same place, I encourage you, some words you gotta just “let fly away…”  Now, back to Kingdom work!