Building Up Others With Our Words

Are you the type of person that congratulates people when they have done well? Do you tell them when they have done a good job? Do you tell them how wonderful they are? And not just on their birthday.

If only we could be like little children, who so often don’t hide their instant reactions. Who voice, without filters, what they are thinking but generally in a positive way. (If they speak with meanness, often they have seen this way of speaking somewhere…)

We need to cultivate this positive, affirming manner in our families.

I remember distinctly my Mum teaching me, “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

So basically, hold your tongue, unless you are going to praise someone, encourage someone, have empathy with someone.

Willow shared her thoughts with her Mum the other day that in a roundabout way was a compliment.

“Mum,” she said, “I’m so glad that you are not a famous singer.” (Melissa, her Mum, has a beautiful voice and sings most weeks in the Impacters Worship Team.)

Willow went on to say, “… because then you would be travelling a lot, and you would never be home to spend time with me.”

Oh, how precious! Willow just told her Mum – you are important to me. I like spending time with you. I like that you take the time to be with me.

Willow had been watching a singing competition and unbeknown to her Mum her little mind had been thinking about what it takes to be a singer.

So do we speak without thinking or do we do what Jesus teaches us, about the power of our words, written distinctly in Ephesians.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29 NIV

And in Proverbs:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue…

Proverbs 18:21 NRSV

Maybe the lesson of “Count to ten before you say something” not only helps for those who get angry easily but for many of us that judge too readily and speak our mind without thinking that it can hurt someone.

Why not this week, speak a compliment to someone? It could be a stranger or someone we love. Why not be the carriers of “LIFE in our tongues.” Maybe this is one way where if we cannot speak Jesus’ name, we can use our voices to be Jesus.

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

How have you felt when someone has said something encouraging to build you up?

How difficult or easy do you find it to be encouraging to others?

Is there someone who you could build up with words of life this week? How can you be Jesus without saying His name?