How do you like it when people criticize you?

The person who first said “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” either lived as a hermit or was an out-and-out liar. Words can hurt. Words do hurt. Words can hurt a lot. Words can hurt a lot more and do a lot more long-term damage than any puny stick or stone.

Studies have shown how lasting an impression, how lifetime an impact, words can have on children. Children who receive constant criticisms about their looks, or their brains, or their abilities, grow up believing the words thrown at them. Some of you here this morning are spending your adulthood with the sound of “dummy,” “fatso,” “geek,” “airhead,” “loser,” echoing in your ears.

Words can stunt spirits. Words can break hearts. We cut each other’s throats …