Sharpened Stones

You profess,

like parents before
you taught,

that killing
carries
God's
judgment
and wrath.

Yet wading through
your streams

I hear your words,

casually hurled
like sharpened stones,

piercing flesh
of the least
among us.

When mercy falls

on endless streams
of rage,

each scornful word
leaves its mark.

And hearts,
robbed of grace,

become
the stones.

Let’s Be Honest: How Sharp Are the Stones in Your Garden?

It is remarkably easy to spot cruelty on the internet. We can detect malice from a mile away when it comes from a stranger in a comment section. It is a lot harder to notice when the edge belongs to us.

Most of us consider ourselves decent people. We would never dream of physically hurting a stranger. Yet, daily, we casually hurl stones across social feeds and everyday conversations. We neatly label them as righteous anger, observations, or just telling it like it is. Sometimes a sharp critique is warranted. Most of the time, if we are honest, we are just looking to leave a mark.

The real cultural problem is not the vast amount of outrage out there. It is our individual willingness to sharpen the tools.

It is worth pausing before the next click or comment to ask a few uncomfortable questions. Am I speaking with any room for grace? Am I assuming the worst in someone because it makes me feel superior? Have I become so accustomed to the endless noise of the internet that I no longer care where my words land?

It is easy to play the judge in everyone else’s life. Before we point out the rock throwers in our feed, we might want to check the edge on what we are currently holding in our own hands.