“They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows”. (Psalm 64:3, NIV)

     Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Well, not so much. PET scans demonstrate that verbal abuse is as damaging to the human brain as physical abuse.

     Online bullying has prompted some young people to take their lives to escape the emotional pain it creates. Parental abuse can be as harmful to children as sexual abuse. The impact of hurtful language can be worse than witnessing domestic violence in the home.

     The negative impact that harmful rhetoric can have on the human heart is not new news. 4000 years ago, King David likened the impact of cruel words to the damage inflicted by deadly arrows. The human tongue can cut more deeply than the blade of a sword.

     Some argue that words are just words. Nothing more. People just need to grow thicker skin. Yet I’ve discovered the people who tout the innocuous nature of words are quite adept at dishing out vicious speech yet are terribly inept when they become the target of someone else’s verbal assault.

     Hitler personally never killed anyone. Yet his speeches created fear and prejudice among the German people enough to turn them against their Jewish neighbors. Hitler’s propaganda machine led to the senseless killing of six million innocent souls.

     Words have power. Words can change a person’s life for the better or for the worse. They can start a war or inspire a revolution.

     So, weigh your words carefully. You never know who may be listening.