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!
Unfiltered words can wound worse than swords. Especially if the recipient suffers from a mental illness. #forgiveness #mentalillness #relationships Click To Tweet
Such a great post, Anita! I left a comment over at Kelly’s place. 🙂
Jeanne Takenaka recently posted…Choosing Gratitude (series): The Choice of Saying Yes
Thank you, Jeanne!
I am so sorry to read about your daughter’s situation. Heading over to Kelly’s now to read the rest of the post.
Laurie recently posted…Do You Believe in Magic?
God has blessed us!
Wow! We did the same with our oldest who kept making wrong decisions. So glad the Lord has redeemed the situation and restored our relationship.
Karen Sebastian-wirth recently posted…Day 31: Zeal
I’m so glad the God has restored the relationship!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…This Vegetarian Pozole Recipe will Serve an Entire Fiesta