On Sunday a friend said something nice about me to me. It must have been one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me and I was amazed at the impact it had on the rest of my day. I'd been having a crabby week or month (maybe even a year?) but those words lifted my soul, encouraged me and brightened my day that I felt like skipping like a kid.
It reminded me of a verse in the Bible which, upon searching, I could not really find. But I did find this which fits entirely:
"Pleasing words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." (Proverbs 16:24)
What a difference a few words make.
I've never believed in the little rhyme: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Because words can hurt deeply. Or they can heal deeply.
Later that afternoon we headed off to our fellowship and upon arrival our second son turned into crazy, tired, over stimulated Elliot. I took him downstairs but he would not listen or respond reasonably. Usually, at home, a few minutes quiet in his room do the trick but I did not know how to accomplish the same effect at the fellowship. My frustration was growing and I kept saying to Elliot: "You are frustrating me."
Eventually he came back upstairs with me and promply fell asleep.
Unable to focus on the message, I thought about the words I had uttered to Elliot: "You are frustrating me." Did those words lift his spirit or just add fuel to the fire and make things all the more difficult? Essentially it was the situation and not my sweet boy that were frustrating me.
How quick we are to speak words that hurt instead of words that build others up. And how much more important to choose my words wisely and practice self - control when I am speaking with these kids that God has entrusted to me. I need to use words that will nurture their soul and build up their self - worth. How quick I am to speak words that have the opposite effect.
We need to make time for words that build others up. Every day goes by so quickly and the busyness of the day to day gets in the way of speaking those kind of words. How often have I thought something but not said it out loud. Or it slipped my mind because of something mundane. It takes discipline and extra effort to keep some words inside and let others out. But I want to take that time to speak words that will lift up because I will never know whose soul needs uplifting.
