I’ll Take The Sticks & Stones
You know that saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!”?
There is nothing more false than this diddy.
The more I meditate, the more I realize how words spoken to me so many years ago had a significant impact on my heart. As a matter of fact, they had such an impact, that it turned to negative thought and behavior patterns as an adult.
Maybe you were the same way, but as a kid, I was so afraid of physical pain. As I entered into adulthood and still to this day, I’ll take the stick and stones over hurtful words any day. Not only are they more damaging, but recovering from them can take longer.
Now I’m not here to dig up trauma from the past, nor is this about blaming others for words they have chosen against you or someone else. But letting go of words that have caused you to surrender to feeling less and forgiving the other party is the only way to move forward.
I know what you are thinking. How do I go about doing that? And why? Why would I want to let it go when it hurt and there should be consequences?
I get all of that. Those questions have caused me to hold on to my pain for so long. But I was also tired of the unrest and hurt I felt. Since all questions are answered in the Bible, I started to study. I came across Colossians 3:13:
….bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
What is this getting at?
As a child of God, you are forgiven. You were made righteous before God because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Because He has done this for you, so you must do for others. The sooner you forgive and move on, the more peace you will feel.
And let me be clear. This does NOT mean that you are making right what was done or said to you. Let your Father handle that. His job is to take care of you, and He will. He wants you to be at peace. So simply hand it over to Him.
How do you go about this?
There is no right or wrong way. Everyone who practices this has their own methodology. I can share with you what I do, but you will need to find what works best for you.
To begin, I find a time and place to be alone with no interruptions. I bow my head and first, give thanks to God for being my loving Father. I then share the burden that is on my heart and ask for the strength to let go and forgive. I tell God that I trust Him to take care of the judgment as that is not my job.
He then brings me to Jesus. As I stand before Him, I hold a thick book in my hands. This book tells the story of what has happened. With no words, He knows I can no longer bear this and I need him to take it. He also knows that I have forgiven them and it’s time for me to let go. He takes the book from my hands, and as the book meets his hands, it disintegrates into a beautiful golden dust that floats away. We both smile, knowing that it is well.
If you want to feel an incredible weight lift from your shoulders, this is it.
When I am done with my time of meditation, I close my time by praying for the person I have forgiven. I thank God for taking this from me so that I can be at peace and move on. This is a critical step in truly relinquishing your pain.
And be reminded of what the Bible says in Matthew 5:44
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray, for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
Friends, this is hard work. Peace and rest come when we surrender these struggles to a Father who loves us more than we can possibly understand.