Do you have a family member who suffers from a mental illness? I learned the hard way what happens when I don’t filter my words.

Unfiltered Words Wound Worse than Swords

At the time, we thought we said the right things. We thought we spoke in love and Christian admonition. Unfortunately, in our urge to correct and to help Sarah, our daughter, make good choices, we spoke without first letting the Holy Spirit filter our words.

“What you’re doing is prostitution,” we told her.

Sarah heard, “You are a prostitute.”

“You’re selling yourself for things instead of money.”

She heard, “You’re a hooker.”

“We raised you to make good choices. What’s wrong with you?”

She heard, “You’re worthless.”

To make matters worse, we wounded her during her darkest hour—during her first week in a psychiatric hospital. We had man’s approval for sharing our concerns, but we failed to consult God. Her psychiatrist advised that we bring these difficult topics up while she was in supervised care—in case she felt suicidal after our conversations.

Thousands of miles stretched between us. Disembodied voices over the phone heaping loving words of well-intentioned condemnation. But those voices didn’t sound the way we thought they did. Our unfiltered words gave our daughter had every reason to resent us, hate us, and hold a grudge against us.

For the rest of the story, join me at Kelly R. Baker’s website for the Walking With God series.

You’ll also have an opportunity to enter a giveaway for two great books!