Our tongue has the power of life and death. With our tongues we speak ‘Miracle Gro’ or we speak ‘RoundUp’ to our kids, friends, family. If we spray ‘Round-Up’ on plants they shrivel up and die. If we spray ‘Miracle Gro’ on them they drink it up and grow. Our words work the same way…they either feed people or
poison them.
Our words have long lasting impact. Be the type of friend and leader who inspires and lifts others ~ people are thirsty for encouragement because it gives courage! Look for opportunities to encourage others! Life’s short! Let’s not kill others with our words!! How many of us to this day still remember hurtful words spoken to us once upon a time?
Gary Chapman in his book, “Love as a Way of Life” uses the vivid metaphor for words as being either ‘bullets or seeds’. If we use our words as ‘bullets’ with a feeling of superiority and condemnation, we are not going to be able to restore a relationship to love. If we use our words as ‘seeds’ with a feeling of
supportiveness and sincere good will, we can rebuild a relationship in positive and life-aƯirming ways. Our words have long lasting impact. Be the type of friend and leader who inspires and lifts others ~ people are thirsty for encouragement because it gives courage!
When we need to talk candidly about something diƯicult with another person, we must focus on the conversation with keen attention and purpose. During the conversation, we must listen patiently, speak tactfully, and tell the truth as we understand it. We must align our words, voice inflection and tone, eye expression, body language, and actions with our inner awareness in an honest exchange.
A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.
The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
Lessons of the story: There is power of life and death in the tongue. Look for a chance to encourage others! Life is short! An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words… it is sometimes hard to
understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way.
I want to always look for opportunities to share encouragement with others. I’m filled with gratitude to those who have encouraged me along life’s journey, no matter in what form it came. The world needs more people to speak into the hearts of others and say, “I believe in you”. “Follow your passion and live your purpose”. “If you have the desire then you also have the power to make it happen”. “Keep working hard. You’re improving and getting better. Keep it up.”
Our words have long lasting impact. Be the type of friend and leader who inspires and lifts others ~ people are thirsty for encouragement because it gives courage! Let’s look for opportunities to encourage others!
When we communicate positive expectations, people generally want to do what we expect. If we express confidence in them, they don’t want to let us down. An inspirational word is a word used to mentally stimulate one toward a specific outcome. Consider the incredibly common situation of the child who
says he’ll never be able to do something.
Let’s remain calm and use a crisis as a game-changing opportunity. It’s a paradigm shift compared to what many do as they hit the panic button. Use the CALM acronym to Celebrate God’s goodness, Ask God for help, Leave your concerns with Him, and Meditate on good things. We can’t control what’s happening but we can control our reaction to it all.
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