{"id":15340,"date":"2026-09-10T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=15340"},"modified":"2026-09-05T12:34:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T17:34:17","slug":"speaking-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/10\/speaking-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaking Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sept.-10th-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sept.-10th-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sept.-10th-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sept.-10th-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sept.-10th.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our words carry tremendous influence. A thoughtful comment, a sincere expression of gratitude, or a gentle response can brighten someone\u2019s day and remind them they have value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Ron tells me he loves me, I feel cherished. Married to a man who doesn\u2019t have a mean bone in his body, he naturally says kind things to me. And his kindness has softened my heart. Having suffered pain at the hands of others, I had built walls around my heart to protect it from further damage. But with each kind word from my husband over the years of our marriage, he has taken down the walls and helped me let go of the pain. Ron has helped me realize I am valuable to Him and the Savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harsh and careless words leave wounds that linger long after they come out of someone\u2019s mouth. Scripture repeatedly teaches that what comes out of the mouth reflects the contents of our heart. If we harbor hard feelings of jealousy, anger, and hatred, our words will reflect them, and they will pack a punch. And I have said harsh and careless words that have hurt others. Nothing aches my heart more than words I\u2019ve said in bygone days that caused someone I love pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As followers of Christ, He calls us to speak words that build others up, rather than tear them down. Our conversations should reflect God\u2019s grace, offering hope, truth, comfort, and encouragement. Every day provides us with opportunities to use our words to bless others. Allowing the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and cleanse them of impurities purifies us. When we empty ourselves of harmful emotions, we make room for God to fill us with His love. And when He does, our speech will change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Encouraging others doesn\u2019t just affect emotions; it can bring peace, reduce anxiety, strengthen relationships, and contribute to our overall well-being. Kind words lift people\u2019s spirits, which influences how they face life\u2019s challenges. Gracious words refresh weary hearts, encourage the discouraged, and bring healing to broken relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Lord transforms our lives, He transforms our language. Kind words don\u2019t just brighten people\u2019s lives; they fill their hearts with joy. When we use uplifting and encouraging words, we speak life into those around us. Christ\u2019s light shines brightest when we use gracious words that sweeten the soul and bring life to the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Journal Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How do your words affect others?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What conversations have been stressful lately?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How can you bring encouragement today?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Stressbuster:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Compliment three people today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two-minute read. Our words carry tremendous influence. A thoughtful comment, a sincere expression of gratitude, or a gentle response can brighten someone\u2019s day and remind them they have value. When Ron tells me he loves me, I feel cherished. Married to a man who doesn\u2019t have a mean bone in his body, he naturally says&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/10\/speaking-life\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Speaking Life<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15340"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15559,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15340\/revisions\/15559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}