Blowing in the Wind

I have never really understood the old saying that goes like this....Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but names will never harm me. Possibly some long ago person made this up as a form of mental self protection but this is just not true. We are human beings with feelings and emotions and being called names, chastised, or taunted is deeply hurtful be it justified (such as correcting a child to teach right from wrong) or spiteful. Today some deeply painful memories of a particular "chastisement" I received rose to the surface for an encore causing me to reprocess and relive a deeply hurtful time reminding me that words once spoken can not be retrieved. Those syllables and sounds are etched on my heart and can not be retrieved by the owner.....they are scattered in the wind and though there may be forgiveness and healing, there are consequences. I have been wrestling with this for a while regarding forgiveness...do you forgive and forget?.... and have come to realize through much prayer, dialogue, study, and soul searching that even with forgiveness, there may still be consequences. I guess I already knew this, just needed a reminder jolt! For instance, I can forgive my husband for forgetting to put gas in the truck, but the consequence is that we are sitting by the side of the road waiting for roadside assistance to help us out because we ran out of gas. What do I need to do to protect myself, my heart....take care of my spiritual, physical, emotional health and needs? What is the best course? Sometimes the solution may seem like a lose/lose proposition on the surface but I am discovering that I must protect myself rather than returning for a repeat of the previous emotional hurt. One lesson that can be learned is that one must measure their words carefully because once they are spoken they will be forever "Blowing in the Wind".....Turn the other cheek....forgive....but be wary of putting yourself in a situation where the same thing can happen again.

~Just a work in progress.....Phil. 4:13~I need the strength promised by the Lord each moment of each day!

~Sparkle~