"Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal. " Proverbs 12:18 GNT
In what I can only describe as sad, Fox News reported recently that many runners competing in the London Marathon on April 28 endured taunts about their weight and speed. Liz Ayres, who paced runners to finish in 7.5 hours, claims contractors and volunteer marshals were the worst offenders as she led her group to the finish line.“I had runners that were crying - ones saying they were going to go home and quit,” Ayres told the BBC. Ayres even claimed that as early as three miles into the race, the water stations along the course had been packed away, and that one runner was injured by a cleaning solution used by crews who allegedly told the group to “hurry up” so that they could clear the streets quicker. She told the news outlet that the pacer leading runners to finish in 6.5 hours experienced similar taunts.
And while I would like to say that the cruelness of the people who voiced these "thoughtless words" surprises me, it doesn't. We live in a world where empathy, or the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, seems to be lost. Why? Because we live in a world that desperately needs Jesus - a world where people, without the Holy Spirit to spur them to love others so that they would speak only healing words, feel free to say whatever they please no matter how deeply it hurts someone else.
Sadly though, you and I don’t have the ability to silence the gossipers and bullies that seem to find great pleasure in wounding us with their words. But we do have the ability to tell these people, who are most likely victims of careless words themselves, about their need for Jesus, the One who has the ability to heal their hearts and change their speech.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that thoughtless words really do wound as deeply as any sword. Knowing that, may we always look for opportunities to speak words that can heal. And Lord, knowing that people who taunt others are almost always victims of taunting themselves, I pray they would have an encounter with You and be healed. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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