Hurtful words, Tape, and Forgiveness

My two girls decided to make a family book. Working together, having fun, and filling the house with laughter. And though they are 4 years apart they are still close and knitted together.

Carefully filling the pages with colors and hand drawn pictures of each family member. Writing words of love. Except for one word that stands out from all the rest.

Can you see it?

No one noticed it except the one it was meant for. Their intentions were good.

They did not write it to hurt, but it did.

And he did not forget that hurt. He held on to that hurt for two weeks until he came across our little family book. This little boy at the tender age of six so full of energy and what I like to call monkey doodles......is not BAD. He is delightfully busy.

Seeing that book brought that hurt to the front of his mind, and he did what he thought was the only right thing to do.

He started taring and tearing up. He didn't stop until every page was gone. Especially the one that caused the hurt.
Wether they are written or said, hurtful words run deep and are hard to erase even as little as they may seem.

And sometimes they can never be erased no matter how much patching up and tape you use.

I think their are two lessons to be learned here. First, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. According to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29. No matter how insignificant the words may be to you, they could be larger than life to someone else. Even when you have nice words to follow, that one negative word erases them all and stands out like neon lights to the one it's intended for.

 Second, We still must forgive. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving eachother, just as in Christ, God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. As I am writing this my two bubbly girls {who were not aware of the hurt that one word caused, until I told them,} are now in their room making a new family book with only positive, loving words for building eachother up.