Hurt People Hurt People

Hurt People Hurt People

The words of hurt people often hurt others. I want to encourage you to be ever mindful that your mouth is a loaded weapon. Use caution when you speak.

In my son Cooper’s last season of machine-pitch baseball, I knew immediately that I had my hands full with one of the other coaches. We were in the draft room, and I was trying to help him out in a situation. Out of nowhere, he told me to mind my own business and that he would get it taken care of.

Throughout the season, that coach caused many problems for many people. He got into it with one of my buddies, who was coaching another team in the league. He even shot the bird at me and another coach and then lied and said he didn’t do it. Why did this man act the way he did? Somewhere along the way, he had learned that to get his way, he had to hurt others—this is what bullies do. Perhaps he had been bullied in the past. Often mean people will bully others because they were bullied. They hurt others because they were hurt. Remember, hurt people hurt other people.

When my buddy had been mistreated, he called me and asked what he should do. He was hot about the way this man had treated him. I told him, “Coach, don’t rebuke a fool, or you will be just like him.” Challenging this man proved to be a fruitless endeavor. Instead, forgiveness was the way to go.

Colossians 3:13 states, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (NIV). What do you do when someone hurts you? If you become angry and bitter, you will have a tendency to become just like him or her. That is why going to the Lord to help you forgive others is so important. If you aren’t careful, you will become the person you despise.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13, NIV