Sticks and stones may brake my bones, but words may never hurt me. Children learn to chant this saying over and over as if it has some magical powers to protect them from verbally abusive mouths. However, experience will teach otherwise. Oh yes, it may build up a wallan angry one at that. But I've found, like many others, that somehow unkind words penetrate the very essence of our fleshly being.
Words do hurt.
Just how much words can hurt may not be known until years later. Ophrah Winfrey, Jenny Jones, and other talk show host have interviewed numerous adults whose spirits were crushed by their peers at school. There are many more examples of instances where the misuse of words are used to destroy lives. Fortunately, it is comforting to know that speaking wholesome words which will give life and bring healing to hurting people is within human reach. And you don't have to be hurting to benefit from kind words.