Have you ever been taken out physically? Maybe someone gave you the old "1,2"? I haven't. I guess I have never been in a real fist fight. I have walked from two fights, neither of which I felt were worth fighting back.

How about verbally and emotionally? Do you remember that statement..."Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me."?

Right and wrong! Sticks and stones can break our bones, that is true. However, "words can never hurt me" is not true.

Since you will most likely get arrested if you throw sticks and stones at people, what can you do? How about throwing insults and demeaning comments? You might as well call words "sticks and stones" as well. They can do the same damage, only in a different way. The damage words cause is on the inside, it is longer term, it takes more time for healing.

Just think, if someone beats you with sticks and stones you will be seriously injured. A few weeks later you will be better. If someone hurls insults at you, trash talks you, brings you down and hurts your feelings you will be severely injured. This injury takes more time to heal.

I have been trash talked, insulted and brought down verbally. Even though I have forgiven the insulter and given the situation to God; the insults, trash talk and verbal abuse still come to mind at times.

Take a moment to remember a time where someone hurled verbal sticks and stones at you. Now, make a commitment to never allow yourself to do this to others. See, we never want to receive verbal abuse, but at times we dish it out and don't think twice.

Let's go to another comment I heard from my mom when I was a child. "Think about what you say before you say it."

Moral of the story: Sticks and stones can break bones- words can break hearts. Hearts are harder to repair. Don't throw verbal sticks and stones.