Awhile back I streamed a sermon from one of my
favorite speakers, T.D. Jakes. It was titled The Choice That Breaks The Curse. He spoke about curses, and how
some of the negative things you say can have the power to curse yourself and/or
others. Words are powerful and can have an incredible impact, whether people
realize it or not. In the sermon he said, “To curse me is to speak wickedness
against my future.” It’s important to be careful what you say to people, especially
during times when you may be upset. Think about times when someone may have said
something to you out of anger, or times when you may have said something
hurtful to someone, because you were upset with them. That’s speaking wickedness
against another person’s future. Even if
it’s not done with intent, the damage it causes is hard to reverse, even
if apologies happen. I wish I didn’t remember some of the negative things that
were said to me in the past, as well as negative things I’ve said when I was in a heightened emotional state. Although I’ve forgiven the people who’ve said
them, and had to make my own apologies for things I’ve said, I still find
myself having to wrestle away the curses in prayer and by diving into my word.
You can also curse people by what you don’t
say. A great example of this was brought up in the sermon, in reference to the relationship between
parents and their children. If you’re a parent that makes your love or approval
a challenge to receive, you can curse your own child and not even realize it.
It doesn’t hurt to tell your kids things like, “I’m proud of you”, or “You’re
doing a great job.” Words are spirit, and anything you say out of your mouth can
either bless or curse someone. When I get angry or upset about something someone says or does, I pause and wait before responding. I’ve also found that going to
God and saying, Lord, show me how to
handle this… can help. I don’t want to be responsible or worse, have to
answer to God about cursing someone with something negative I’ve said. It really gets on my nerves when people use
cop outs like, “I was just playing…” when they say something negative or
hurtful, too. Because even if you think you’re
being playful or kidding, you’re still saying something that can have a
negative impact. Don’t do that. Be the kind of person that spreads blessings,
not curses, over your life and the lives of others.
As you embark on your career, I want you to know some things and stay woke about what you’ll be up against. Please understand that no matter what, you have value, and you matter. Always remember that. As progressive as this world and different workplaces may seem, every workplace has a culture. You’ll be in different places where a lot of people who don’t look like you will be in the room. But know that you belong in those rooms too. Spend some time observing and studying those spaces and learn as much as you can. There will be people you work with who will make presumptions about your competence, education, and ability to fulfill your job duties. There will be more who will think less of you because of the color of your skin and try to disqualify you the moment you make an error, mistake, or ask questions about things you may not understand. This will all feel uncomfortable and you may get insecure, feel like you’re all by yourself, and think you don’t belong there, but ride it out...