The Words We Say

I just got through reading something about the power of words and got me thinking about my childhood years.

I spent a lot of my childhood years trying to please other people and ‘fit in’ w/ the "cool crowd."

I had a few strikes against me.

I was raised in the Jehovah’s Witness religion.  Kids always made fun of me because I didn’t get/get Christmas or birthday presents and didn’t really celebrate any holidays. 

My parents were separated, that was odd for school events because my parents hated each other. Also, I remember my dad trying to pick up on my female teachers, (Mrs. Candy, Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Gonzales) during parent teacher conferences. Couldn’t blame him I guess, he needed a wife. LOL

I was born w/ asthma and allergies. This made it very hard to run and play some of the P.E. sports, so many times I was sidelined and didn’t get to play. The allergies allowed me to get shots 3x a week. Yuck!

Also, I think I had the biggest set of tic-tac teeth that I had ever seen on a kid, until my mom graciously put braces on them things and tamed them down.

I did get made of my last name a little as well.

BUT, most of all I remember a name that I was called like it was yesterday, hated it.  The name was “fat back”. Yep I hated it. Made me want to go crawl under a rock.  Yes I was a chunky kid, but didn’t think I deserved the name “fat back”.

I actually looked the word ‘fat back’ up in the Webster and this is what it said- the strip of fat from the back of a hog carcass usually cured by drying and salting.  Man, that boy was mean!

I was called fat back through 8^th grade until I grew into my body.

All of the above really bothered me. I was sensitive and cried often.  I do not remember having the support of my mom and or acceptance of my mom. Like I have said in the past, I love her, don’t blame her for anything or the outcome of my life, she did the best she ‘knew’ how to do.

I think as I went through high school I looked for love and acceptance in other things. I came across ‘hard nosed’ like nothing bothered me. I turned to alcohol and girls for the acceptance and kind words.  

I let the words bounce of me and didn’t really care what I said to people. I thought, if it hurt their feelings, o’well, they needed to hear it.  No big deal right? I had turned into someone that I didn’t like, like the guy that called me ‘fat back.’

We can use our tongues in 2 ways.

1. Uplifting, helping, encouraging, challenging others.
2. Evil and meanness.

For a long time after high school I had total disregard of my words. Hurting people left and right. Was I right? No. Did I know any better? No.

Do I know better now? Yes.

The words we speak, once released from our tongue travel this world forever.  

We can’t take them back, even though we try so hard.  

The words we speak pierce hearts and memories for a long time.

We never know how another person’s day is or has been.  I try to always take that into consideration. Am I perfect at it? No, but I do work on speaking encouraging words everyday.

I want to be soft hearted and tough skinned all at once- to be tender enough to reply in love, grace and mercy and to let things run off my shoulders when needed.

Have I learned it all? No, I am no where close, but trying everyday :-)

Working on my words daily!

www.ryancook.net

Comments

[Renee]

Thanks for sharing a little of your history~! It is not always easy, but it sure is helpful!
xoxo