the bruise

Last week my husband and I had just found our seats in an already packed football stadium. We were there to watch our grandson play. I sat down first and my husband nudged me in the arm with my plastic seat cushion because I had forgotten to get it from him to sit on.

Now I knew he didn't mean to hurt me but as soon as he nudged me with that cushion, I felt extreme pain in my arm. I winced and almost moaned and groaned out loud. I felt so silly as I sat and rubbed my arm for a while. I felt like I was making a big deal out of nothing.

A day or two late, I happened to look down at my arm and I had a bad bruise the size of a half dollar right at the exact spot where the cushion had poked in my arm and I KNEW that it was the cause.

Even though he didn't mean to, he had caught my arm at just the exact right (or maybe it was wrong) angle and deep bleeding and bruising had occurred.

I didn't think too much about it until a few days later, and I feel as though God applied a biblical principle to that little scenario to help me better understand some situations in the every day physical world.

While not meaning to or just in the spirit of fun or good humor, we may say things that we think are innocent and harmful enough, and catch someone's soul at just the wrong angle and bring blood or deep bruising to the surface. After all, we don't know what shoes they have walked in, what experiences bring them to that exact moment and what ramifications and results those experiences have deposited in their heart of hearts.

Whether my husband or me thought that the poke was hard enough to bring the bruises and the bleeding or not, they were there--evident of some deep injury far below the surface.

Do we need to be a little more careful in our innocent comments? Do we need to weigh our words just a little more? I am not referring to walking on egg shells around people or being super nervous or afraid we are going to offend someone. I am referring to that extra little measure of courtesy and respect, sensitivity and kindness, that should come from our words.

I love the picture words from Proverbs 25:11

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Dear God, Are there any restitutions I need to make today concerning what I thought were innocent words? If there are, please give me the fortitude to make things right.