you're so stupid!

i hate the word "stupid". hate it. can't stand for anyone to say it. 

i hate it when i hear it on television. i hate it when i hear it in movies. i hate it when i hear it in life.

stupid is a dangerous word. a sneaky word. a word that worms its way into your life and changes it.

changes you.

because the words we hear shape us. they make us into who we believe we are. they bring us life or they bring us death. encouraging words bring hope. criticizing words do not.

everything we say and everything we do either builds someone up or tears someone down. there is no in between.

and for me-stupid-has no in between. it always tears someone down.

it's a strange phenomenon that people remember the bad things people say about them more than they remember the good.

fat.

ugly.

stupid.

lazy.

worthless.

loser.

words that always cut. words that always damage. words that always shatter.

but from the time we're little we're led to believe that words can't hurt us.

"sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

a nursery rhyme. an innocent song learned before we understood its meaning. an anthem of defense used while trying to survive the playground. 

but it's a lie.

because as we grow up we realize that words can hurt. words can damage. words can destroy.

when i was a teenager someone told me i was stupid.

and it stuck.

i never forgot it. i never forgot how it made me feel. i never forgot that i thought that's how others felt about me. and i never forgot how much it hurt.

it's crazy how one word, one comment can get played over and over again in our minds until we convince ourselves that it's true.

it took me years to get past that statement. to get to a point where i knew i wasn't stupid. to gain the confidence back that i lost in that one careless remark.

but to this day i still cringe when i hear the word. i can't stand for someone to say it-even in joking.

because to me it's not a joke.

a word like stupid sticks in someones head. a word like stupid tells someone that they're not good enough. a word like stupid makes people feel like they don't fit in.

and no one should feel like they're not good enough.

or don't fit in.

ever.

"the power of life and death is in the tongue." Proverbs 18:21

God knew we would need this reminder.

because our words are more powerful than we think and remembered more than we realize.

when we use our words they should always be words of life. and though it may seem like something so small...there's really no room for stupid in this world.