"Sticks & Stones may break my bones....but Names will never hurt me"
How many times have you been told that?
How many times have you told your kids that?
Now, think for a minute.......Is there any truth in that phrase?
The answer.....NO!
Names do hurt...words have more power than we realize.
I don't know about you, but I have been on the receiving end of those "names"
Whether to my face, or behind my back.......
and I will tell you something.
It hurts.
Sad to say, I have also been on the other side.....
I have been the one spewing names and insults against others....
and I will tell you something.
Those words hurt.
Words have power, alot of power.....
So many times, they just run out of our mouth without our thinking.
It's amazing how mere words can tear someone down,
make them feel worthless,
cause lifelong insecurities,
truly injure a soul.
Likewise, words can encourage,
they can lift the spirit,
they can heal the soul.
I want to use my words in that way.....
The Lord tells us how to speak:
29 When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you...Eph 4:29
We are to use our words to encourage....
to help....
to strengthen...
to be a blessing.
Just this past weekend, I was on the receiving end of these types of words.
I was catering the pastries for a party
My first BIG party
1500 pastries!
As I was saying Thank You to the Hostess,
She said to me " I read your blog"
Well, immediately I went into panic mode.....This woman was my 7th grade English Teacher,
All I could think was " she probably thinks that I had never learned a thing in her class"
I am positive that my writing is not grammatically correct.
But that feeling of panic only lasted a minute.....
Because next she said
" I am proud of you.....Proud of who you are.....Proud of who you've become and ....Proud of who you will become"
At that exact moment, my heart was filled with gratitude... and healing.
I have always carried around the stigma of being a teenage Mom
I always figured that that is what would define me...
Shelly Ritlinger...pregnant in High School.
But when I heard those words, from a 7th grade teacher....
I realized something....
Words hold power...
I was encouraged.
lifted up.
healed.
It makes me think of how I use my words, how I wield that power...
I want to follow the Lord's teachings and use my words in a positive manner.
How will you use your words today?
I promise you one thing,
your words will either encourage or discourage
choose wisely.
I know I will.
Thank you Mrs. Ebert......
All these years later and you are still teaching me about words.
Be an Encourager Today,
Shelly
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