Breaking Cycles

This verse truly speaks to me, because I’ve lived it and seen the effects that the power of the tongue has on our emotions.
I grew up around a lot of fighting and hurtful words. My parents fought all the time, and as a kid, I didn’t realize how much that would stay with me. But it did. When I got older and got married, I found myself doing the same thing. My husband and I fought a lot, and our kids were caught in the middle. They heard the yelling, the name-calling, the pain—and now I see how it affected them.

One of my children still struggles deeply, and the hurt shows in how they speak. Sometimes what comes out of their mouth is mean or hard to hear, and I know it’s coming from a place of pain—pain that started way back when they were young. That hurts me, because I know we caused some of that damage.

Now I know God’s Word. I read the Bible, I speak it, and I pray it over my family. I ask God to heal their hearts—to fix the parts we broke. I believe His Word is powerful enough to do that.

I’ve also learned something else: when you’re mad at someone and you choose to say something hurtful, you may think it’s just a moment—but the pain can last a lifetime. You can’t take those words back. They stick. They leave marks. And I don’t want that cycle to keep going.

So, when one of my kids says something that stings, I don’t just react—I pray. I pray they start to think before they speak, especially to their own kids. I pray they realize how powerful their words are. Because I’ve learned that what’s in our heart always comes out, and if we want to speak love and peace, we’ve got to let God heal what’s going on inside first.

If you’ve been hurt by words—or you’ve said things you regret—know that you’re not alone. I’ve been there too. But God can change hearts. He can heal families. He can help us break the cycle and start a new one rooted in love, grace, and truth.
For my own personal healing, I’ve learned to speak God’s Word out loud when my mind and heart are troubled. I don’t just think about His promises—I say them. I let His truth come out of my mouth and over my life. That’s how healing starts.