Here is a great proverb for the day. "The tongue of the wise brings healing." (Proverbs 12:18)
Careless words can hurt people. Not only can they influence a person's self-worth, they can actually shape that person's destiny. If you doubt that, consider these two stories:
(1) One day in a small country church an altar boy accidentally dropped the communion wine. The officiating priest slapped him and shouted, "Leave, and don't come back!" That boy became General Tito, the brutal communist dictator who ruled the people of Yugoslavia for years.
(2) In a big city cathedral another altar boy dropped the communion wine. His bishop turned to him and whispered reassuringly, "It's okay, some day you'll be a great priest." That boy became Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose sermons touched the hearts of millions on national television.
Your words either build people up or tear them down. Solomon said, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Here's a truth we don't like to acknowledge; what comes out of our lips reveals what's in our heart, and all our "I didn't mean its" don't change that or undo the damage.
Eugene Petersen writes: "Every day I put love on the line. There's nothing I am less good at. I am far better in competition than love; far better at responding to my instincts to get ahead, than at figuring out how to love another. I'm schooled and trained in getting my own way. And yet I decide every day to set aside what I do best, and attempt to do what I do very clumsily - open myself to the frustrations and failures of loving, daring to believe that failing in love is better than succeeding in pride."
Let's shoot to speak and release words that elevate other people. It shapes their destiny and ours. God Bless you and see ya Sunday....
1 comment:
I have always felt that encouragement is the most powerful drug on earth. There is nothing like it. As I look back on my life, I can honestly say that whenever I authored an inappropriate response it was a direct reflection of what is living on the inside of me. Pride has been a hard thing for me to overcome but one thing I have learned. Pride demands constant attention and left unchecked it drains the life out of my soul. Humility has its own defense and I do not have to do anything but let it defend itself. So I am working on a much easier way which is to love. Love everyone for who they are and let God take care of the rest. The key words are working on, as it has not been totally perfected in me yet. I pray that Christ in me, the Hope of Glory would exert His mighty strength through me so that His reflection would be seen and not mine. Father graft your strengths and character over all my weaknesses and flaws I pray.
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