Michael, movie

As I was watching the movie *Michael*, I noticed something in the beginning that really stood out to me. When his father said to him, “If you want to cry, go on and cry, big nose,” I felt like that was the beginning of why Michael slowly and eventually quickly—started changing himself.

Sometimes, the wounds that shape us the most begin with the words spoken to us by the people we love and trust the most. A child may not understand the weight of those words in the moment, but they can carry them for years, allowing those insults to become the way they see themselves.

The Bible says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger” (Ephesians 6:4). Children need correction, but they also need love, encouragement, patience, and words that build them up rather than tear them down.

What we say to a child can become either a wound they spend years trying to heal or a foundation they stand on for the rest of their life. Words matter, especially when they come from a parent. -CM