Think about this: you start your day with a piece of paper divided into two columns. One column would be kind, encouraging, and loving words. The other column would be harsh or negative words, and discipline. Each time you speak to your family you mark a tally in the appropriate column. At the end of the day you go over your tallies. Which column has more tally marks? Is your kind and encouraging column heavy or a little light?
Friends, our words matter. The words we speak can bring life or death.
I am not saying to not discipline your child or to avoid difficult subjects with your husband. We must discipline our children. If we love them, we will discipline them, just as our loving Father disciplines us. And difficult subjects need to be lovingly discussed and worked through with our spouses. When it comes to our children, the more we show them love, use kind words, and build the relationship with them, the more they will listen to us in those times of discipline. This is not about being a friend to your child, we are the parent not the friend, it is about showing love to your child. The same for our husband, if we constantly use negative or rude words, eventually he will tune us out.
Let's see what the Bible has to say about our words:
Pleasant words are a honeycomb:
sweet to the taste and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24
A gentle answer turns away anger,
but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
Proverbs 15:1
Her mouth speaks wisdom,
and loving instruction is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26
In those times when we are frustrated, tired, or hungry, you know, those times it's easy to be short tempered or rude with others, we need to make sure our words are gentle and loving.
Today as you communicate with your family make sure you are adding more tallies to the loving side than the harsh side.
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