Ten minutes later, I was standing with my red-eyed son on our neighbor’s porch, ringing the doorbell. Rather than being indignant, I was now mortified. With tones of deep regret, I apologized to the father. Then it was my son’s turn. I insisted that he ask both the father and the young boys he had falsely accused to forgive him.
No doubt it would have been easier to let my son call or write a letter of apology. Easier yet, I could have let him cry into my shoulder and skip apologizing altogether. But I wanted him to look the people he had hurt in the eye. I wanted him to feel the gravity of his words. I wanted him to know just how much pain he had created by saying something that wasn’t honest about other people.
This is how God, as our Father, feels about us. He wants us to feel the gravity of our words. When He says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” it’s not because He is a harsh, rule-levying God. God loves us! He doesn’t want our relationships to constantly be pelted and pummeled with damaging, untrue words. Instead, He wants us to enjoy harmony and peace in our homes and neighborhoods and communities.
What we say about each other matters. Before we point a finger, let’s be the kind of people who feel the weight of our words.
Are you quick to “cast stones”? Take inventory of your words this past week. Have you exaggerated or embellished your accusations against others? How can you make this right? What steps will you take to begin feeling the weight of your words against others? {eoa}
Copyright © 2001-2016 Revive Our Hearts. Shannon Popkin is a speaker and writer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who enjoys blending her love for humor and storytelling with her passion for God’s Word. Shannon’s first book, Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of Control From 7 Women of the Bible will be published by Kregel Publications in 2016. On her blog, Shannon shares “Tiny Paragraphs” from everyday life as a wife and mom—stories which gain significance as they are tucked back into the One True Story of God.
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