By Your Words, Mountains Move
Hello Friends,
It just rained last night. The smell of fresh rain always is my favorite. I was just sitting out on my front porch with a steaming cup of hot cocoa, just admiring the surroundings. Then, I heard this bird chirping and the sound of it made me feel so at peace. The chirping reminded me of the words I speak. I started to reflect on this simple question. "What impact do the words we say have on the lives around us?"
"Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen." -Ephesians 4:29
When a person complains to you, how does it make you feel? Listening to someone complain and grumble makes you feel icky and has an affect on you, am I right? I have been trying to be more aware of the words I think on a daily basis. Negivitiy is a huge struggle in my life. Speaking negativity over myself, I began to notice I was always angry and nagging to those around me. It was affecting my mood, my motivation, the outcome and bringing others down with me. I was simply speaking garbage to a person and never gave a second thought on the spiritual impact of my words. While not realizing the true aspect of negativity, there is proof it unravels lives. It allows fear, bitterness and disappointment to rule one's life. Complaining and negativity can be compared to garbage because it brings friends and family down. One of the things in life God wants for us is to encourage one another.
"So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Instead of speaking death or negativity over each other, let us speak life over our friends and family. Let us lift each other up in love and kindness. We as humans, desire community and to connect with people. With encouragement, as Jesus portrayed, we connect and inspire each other. Encouragement according to the dictionary is to support, to give courage and confidence in a person. I define encouragement as speaking life to people: to remind people of the good in life, the things accomplished and what God has done. Also encouragement can be described as reminders of God's promises to come. Paul in His letters wrote of encouragement and good things even though he was in prision. He chose not to complain and grumble, instead he used his words to worship, encourage and inspire the people around him. We can use our gift of language to inspire, empower and love the people around us. Words are a gift that we often take for granted. They have the power to destroy a person or they can speak life in to a human being.
"The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences."
-Proverbs 18:21
Although negativity can be harmful, I am not implying one should always be happy and positive. Being "fake" happy all the time while stuffing one's feelings down is no way to live life. Instead, be real with each other. Open up. Tell your struggles and encourage one another. Speak with love. Listen and respond. Because of Christ in us, there is power in our words. We can command the dead to rise, mountains to move, the sick to be healed, demons to flee. We may not always see the outcome of our words but they are powerful.
"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." -Hebrews 3:13
Dear friends, choose to dwell in the good things and learn from hard circumstances. Encourage and lift each other up and speak in love. You are a child of God. Your words matter. If you ever need to talk, I am here for you.
Have a beautiful day!
xox Bri
