Tag: words

Have you ever thought about the influence your words have on others? Your words have the ability to build others up in a positive way or tear them down in a negative way.

One weekend this summer, I was trying to decide whether to go on a long trip to a family reunion by myself or just stay home. The first night of the reunion, one of my sister-in-laws at the reunion called to jokingly ask what kind of toppings I wanted on the pizza, as they were ordering some.  It was a joke because they were five hours away!  But, it made me smile to think that she thought of me and called me.  She asked if I was coming the next day.

Truthfully, I was still feeling overwhelmed with finishing a long day of work with pressing deadlines, taking care of two kids who had wisdom teeth out, running to the store to get them more varieties of food they could eat and the list goes on. I told her I would wait and decide the next morning.

The next morning came, and I was still unsure what to do…whether to go or just stay home. Once again, this same sister-in-law texted me to say she thought I should come. Her words inspired me to really get ready and start on my journey. I felt she really wanted me  to be present and join in the festivities.

So, I started to pack up for the long ride. It was suppose to rain along the way, but thankfully the weather was just fine the whole way, I got to play lots of good music, and the traffic was not bad at all. It turns out I was very thankful to go, and everyone was very happy to see me.

At times, our words can have an adverse reaction on a person. Can you think of a time when someone said something to you that maybe was very cutting and hurtful? Maybe the comments even made you feel incompetent in some area of your life.  In many cases, it is very likely that the person did not even realize their comment hurt you.  It might be possible that now you totally alienate yourself from the person, but hopefully, you either told the person how  the comments made you feel, or you chose to forgive them and move on.

Living Waters by Len Matthews under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

It is important to remember that your words have the power to built someone up or tear them down. Try to think before you speak in the hopes of not tearing someone down, but rather encouraging them along this journey.