To be mean is to act in a way that is intentionally hurtful or unkind to someone, often involving malicious or selfish behavior. To be rude means being offensively impolite or ill-mannered. To be hurtful means causing distress to someone’s feelings. Have you ever said something mean, rude or hurtful to someone, to someone you love? Of course you have we all have. The problem with the words we speak once said you can never erase them from being spoken. You can never take them back. Words hurt! My mother used to say, “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.” Period. Today think before you speak, because words are powerful, they can either build up or they can hurt and damage another person. Proverbs 18:21a reminds us of this, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue...” It is something to think about. Amen.