Reading the Word

“A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” (Proverbs 18:14, ESV)

Understanding and Applying the Word

When I was young, we learned a saying. We would say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” The idea of this saying was to teach us not to let the mean words of others hurt us. This saying also implies that physical pain is all that is real. I have learned that this saying is completely backwards.

As our proverb tells us, it is physical pain that we can endure. Those sticks and stones can break bones and sickness does cause pain, but we know that they are only temporary and we make it through. However, it is the mean words, the mocking names, and the crushed spirit that truly destroy us. These things cause emotional pain and suffering and we can feel helpless. There is no surgery or medicine to repair a crushed spirit. We must feel every bit of the pain and trust that we will heal over time. We must remember that we are children of God and that he cares about every detail of our lives. And we must remember that God loved us so much that he gave his only Son to die in our place. God loves us and he will bring us through.

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