One-minute read.
Words matter. What you say to other people has an impact on their lives. How they receive your words determines how they internalize and process them. In seventh grade, when a boy on the bus told me I had a big nose, I heard ‘You’re ugly.” His words had a profound impact on my self-esteem, causing me to doubt myself and my appearance. Forty years later, he probably doesn’t remember uttering that sentence, but I still remember the pain I felt from it.
As a tennis coach, I learned in one of my first trainings that kids remember 80% of what you say to them, but we only remember 20% of the words we speak. To combat that statistic, I strive only to say uplifting and encouraging words, not only to my students, but to everyone. I look for the good in people, and then I tell them when I find it. Instead of focusing on the negative, I find the positive and speak it out loud.
Spread good in the world with your words. Don’t let unwholesome talk come from your mouth; know that your words matter. Find ways to build people up, speak life into them with your words, letting them know how much they matter, not only to you, but to God as well.
Journal Question:
When has someone’s words hurt you?
Random Act of Kindness:
Who can you build up today with your words?
