You always…
You never…
That’s so stupid…
What where you thinking?
You’re just like your mother…
You’re just like your father…
I can’t believe you did that…

We’ve all heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Many of us heard that growing up. But the truth is – words can hurt us and negative words can really damage a marriage.

We’ve all been hurt by words at one time or another. We know the pain a sarcastic comment can cause. We know how much a snide remark can hurt. So why do we allow these hateful, hurtful words to come out of our mouths? And why do we say the most hurtful things to those we love the very most – our spouses? Why do we ignore how powerful words can be?

James 3:5-8 says this:

“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

 “A restless evil full of deadly poison.” There’s just not a better way to say it than that. The words we say have power. They can hurt or heal – tear down or build up – undermine or encourage. No matter how our marriages grow in maturity, we always seem to find ways to hurt each other, either intentionally or unintentionally. And with every offense comes pain.

Hurt leaves us wide open and upsets our equilibrium. We feel as if our hearts have been torn out and our spirits brutalized. Sometimes we don’t recognize the inner pain right away; other times, we just try to hide it. Sometimes we don’t tell our spouses when they have wounded us because we don’t want to appear vulnerable; we suppress the hurt and act as if nothing happened.

You’ve probably found yourself in a situation like this. Few couples escape the conflicts that result from differences in family backgrounds, personalities, or perspectives. But for some, hurtful words have become the norm in their lives. Some spouses dread going home from work because they know their spouse will have something hurtful to say to them. Some spouses avoid talking with their spouse about issues that are troubling them because they worry their spouse will ridicule them for their concerns. Some spouses have become so beaten down because of years of hurtful, hateful words that they see themselves as worthless.