Ever been told 'sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you'? Know how wrong that is? Kerry draws from her own experience in this article helping us deal with those wounds.

Kerry Cole

If Jesus needs us to be vessels to carry, contain and pour out His love on others; To be His 'hands and feet' in situations; So the evil one needs and uses vessels to do his work. The hardest thing is when 'this vessel' is a brother in Christ. For all of us immaturity, un-submitted areas and parts of our life not governed by our Father in Heaven can be used skilfully and with great precision by the enemy of our souls.

There you are standing in submission and obedience to God, you are dying to yourself, you are suffering for Jesus' sake, when a rock comes flying towards you and whacks you in the most vulnerable part of your soul. You were crying out for the bread of fellowship, for a kind word, for compassion and instead you get a brick. I'm not talking about a wrong soulish reliance or dependency on other people, looking to them to be your source of life or encouragement; but what I am saying is that when you are in that place of obedience to God, laying down your life, the cruel pain of a skilfully aimed, clever minded brick hurts so bad!

Matthew 16: 21-23

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

In my insecurity these bricks have often misfooted me, made me unstable and caused panic and fear to arise. I now believe them to be moments where Jesus takes my face in His nail scarred hands and kisses my fears away; We look into each others eyes, He asks me if I will bear it with Him because He sees the reward ahead, many souls saved for all eternity; and so He shows me I can choose another way. Instead of screaming out in pain and defeat as the rocks hit me, we can dance together as though confetti was being thrown at our wedding. Now that's overcoming! He teaches us to laugh and sing instead of caving in.

Oh - and I don't rule out the absolute certainty that I have been used to fling rocks.