Craig Clouston

Strong, Powerful, and Breakable

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.
1 Peter 4:11

Dale and Kieran, two good-willed people, stomped off in different directions following an exchange of words meant to wound each other. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t meant what they’d said or that they couldn’t tell you why they’d said such hurtful things.
Kieran ran to the bedroom, wondering if Dale really loved her while Dale, angry with himself, slammed the sliding glass door on his way outside.
He just didn’t get it. He loved Kieran with all his heart, yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself from blurting out injurious words, words he really didn’t mean. He didn’t blame Kieran; he knew she was just responding to his hurtful words.
Twenty minutes into his thoughts, he walked back in the house, went to the bedroom, and pulled a sobbing Kieran into his arms. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I said what I said. Can you forgive me?”
“Dale, you make my heart hurt when you speak to me that way,” she shared through the tears.

†

It’s really quite amazing the amount of physical protection God gave our heart. It is encased within an intricate cage of flexible bone, perfectly designed to shield it from injury, wrapped in sinewy, soft tissue, which is resilient and powerful. Centered between both lungs and liver, it is the strongest muscle in the body, forcing life-giving blood through miles of arteries and capillaries. It requires a tremendous amount of trauma to the chest to damage the heart.
And yet a simple word can completely break it.
We have all experienced heartache or heartbreak at some time in our lives, the empty feeling we think will never go away.
Some wounds take a long time to heal, and relationships can become strained.
In the worst of cases, the wound may never heal completely.
Peter says we have a choice of what comes out of our mouth. A heart bent toward God and a disciplined tongue will save unnecessary wounds.

Prayer

“Lord, help me guard my words. The enemy wants my sharp tongue to surface. Please help me think ahead before I speak. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”