There were those such as Demetrius, the silversmith, and Alexander, the coppersmith, who built idols to worship. It was their livelihood. So when Paul preached against false gods and idols, he stirred up those whose livelihood depended on such things. As a result, they began to oppose his words and attempted to have Paul put to death. Words may not kill us physically, but they can still do much damage.
In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play Major League baseball, faced venom nearly everywhere he traveled – fastballs at his head, spikings on the bases, brutal epithets from the opposing dugouts and from the crowds. During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. In the midst of this, another Dodger, a Southern white player named Pee Wee Reese, called timeout. He walked over, put his arm around Robinson’s shoulder and just stood there. The heckling stopped, but Robinson, while always remembering what Pee Wee did for him, never forgot what Boston fans did to him. Opposing words can hurt; remember that the next time you want to use them.
Dr. Mike Rouse
What to do:
✞ Make your words soft and tender in case you have to eat them.
No comments:
Post a Comment