Well, don't get too excited...I still haven't prepared THE blog post all about Bangladesh. It's coming, it's coming... But in the past 72 hours I've been reminded by God and the people around me of a powerful truth. Our words are an overflow from our hearts and minds. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18, "But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them." Our words also carry so much weight. A person's words can either build up or tear down those who hear them. So in a matter of three days I have been reminded three specific times about carefully choosing my words in my marriage, with my peers, and when using popular phrases.
1- Tuesday I was at Chick-fil-A in North Carolina getting dinner for Jonathan and I. After a full day of school, that chicken sandwich was DELISH! So I get in line and a nice middle-aged couple ordered in front of me. While the wife went to find a table, the husband and I waited off to the side for our orders. After the husband took one load of food to their table he came back and was waiting for something else (I guess more food?). Then something happened that made me almost lose my appetite. The wife came up to her husband with a disappointed look on her face and they exchanged a few remarks that weren't in ear shot of me. By their body language I could tell that something was wrong. Then the wife says to her husband "Ugh...I thought I trained you better than that!" and stormed back to the table. I could see the hurt on her husband's face...
Okay...deep breath... I WAS SO MAD. Don't get me wrong, I know we all loose it from time to time. Everyone has bad days and says things that they don't mean... but your husband is not a puppy! He doesn't need to be "trained". This experience was a good reminder for me to always be cautious of the things I say. Not only in my marriage with showing respect to my husband, although that is certainly important! But the things I say can even effect those around me in public. Sometimes our words can belittle others... This leads me to my next lesson of the week...
2- Every Thursday I meet with a 5th grader. She calls me a "counselor" but I function more like a mentor, and the school calls me a "lunch buddy" :) I love it. So today we were talking about a lesson that she learned in a friendship group at school about words. She said they did an activity where you squeeze toothpaste out onto a paper plate. The toothpaste represents the words that we say. Then you have to try to put all of the toothpaste back into the tube. If anyone's ever tried this, it's impossible! It just ends up becoming a minty fresh, sticky mess. But when we squeeze our words out, we can never take them back. This was another great reminder of the fact that words can last in a person's mind for years, and even a lifetime. I want to make sure that the words of mine etched in people's memories are ones that build up, not tear down.
3- Just tonight I read an awesome article. Read it here: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/13-things-stop-saying-2013 . It's called "13 Things to Stop Saying in 2013". Although it's funny, there's a lot of truth in it. Many times we start employing default words. We don't talk with purpose, but we just use words to fit in. Sometimes, we may not even know what the word(s) mean! So this was yet another convicting reminder about being purposeful about the words we choose and say. They matter!
So... I guess God is trying to teach me something :) But, I thought I would share with you all as well.
Have a great weekend!
p.s. Be checking Twitter for updates on Parkway's Live.Love. event this weekend. #LiveLove2013. It's going to be awesome!
