Playground Rhymes.

"I'm rubber and you're glue! Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!"

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

You've probably heard those sayings before. Heck, you might have said those before. They are found in the place of near universal experience for people here in America when they were growing up: the playground.

These playground adages have stood the test of time, and, as cheesy as they sound, they have an effect on us in our formative years. They also contain an important lesson for adults about the power and place of words.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!"

You probably heard these words during some sort of confrontation. Kids can be mean. Kids can be outright cruel. These words serve as a comfort that when people say mean things, it doesn't affect us. After all, they are just words.

In fact, the origin of this phrase is used to remind children to be level-headed, and not to respond to name calling with violence. It calls us to not let the negativity of other dictate how we ourselves are suppose to live.

"I'm rubber and you're glue! Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"

Another such playground rhyme. Again, different words, same concept. These words show the importance of inaction and being level-headed in the face of bullying. It calls for restraint in the face of vile anger.

But it also makes a claim about that anger.

"Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"

Hurtful words. Angry words. Disparaging words. Those words stick to those from which they came. They are a reflection of the person's heart. When those words are launched, they don't make a claim on those they are being spoken about. Rather, they say much more about the one saying them.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Here we shift from the power of others' words to the power of our own words. We recognize that we must speak positive words. It is a recognition that good words are needed in the world, not negative ones.

"Those are just playful children's rhymes. Helpful for children, yes, but ultimately not full of any sort of lasting and substantial truth!"

"The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks." -- Luke 6:45

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." -- Ephesians 4:29

"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit." -- Proverbs 15:4

"Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." -- Proverbs 12:18

"If those who claim devotion to God don’t control what they say, they mislead themselves. Their devotion is worthless." -- James 1:26

Words matter. Our words matter. How we respond to hurtful words matters. Our words are a reflection of our hearts, and we must use our words for building up rather than tearing down.

I know some may argue that our words don't matter. We try to excuse our words when we say mean or hurtful things, either in private or when very few people are around to hear. We say that we are just joking, or we really don't mean it.

However, I would ask you to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Are the words that I say a real reflection of my heart? When I say hurtful words in private, how do I really feel? Why am I saying those things?"

Because the words we use can harden our hearts, and they can be a reflection of our hearts.

I'm not going to claim I'm guiltless in this. I have a lot of work to do personally on this. But we have to start remembering that our words matter. We need to stop pretending that words don't matter. We need to hold our families, friends, faith leaders, political leaders, and, most importantly, ourselves to a higher standard. We can't keep pretending that what we say, how we say it, and who we say it to doesn't matter. It is wrong to use words that are harmful to people of other races, backgrounds, and beliefs. It is wrong to disparage and dismiss people based on where they come from. It is wrong no matter who we are or what position we hold, from the boardroom, to the lunchroom, to the highest halls of power, all the way to the playground.  We have to remember that what we say, even in private, can be a reflection of our hearts. We must remember that hurtful words matter.

We must remember our playground rhymes.