Gratitude Day 419

Tues., Mar. 10, 2020

Colossians 3:16: Remember what Christ taught, and let his words enrich your lives and make you wise; teach them to each other and sing them out in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord with thankful hearts.

Whether we realize it or not, our words often influence others. Sometimes this influence is positive. Our words can just as easily have a negative affect on someone else.

This is a short expert from The Mary Experiment: When DOING and BEING Collide which speaks to how important our words are:

Sometimes, inappropriate words contain more than four letters.

When leading worship, I enjoy gathering the littlest people together for a few minutes in what I call “Kid’s Korner.” One particular Sunday, we were exploring how sometimes yucky things happen to us. Rather than use the word “yucky,” I chose to use a more profound word: Crappy. I should have taken the hint when a few of the kid’s eyebrows raised at the first utterance. I didn’t stop there though… No, I used it two more times with the kids. After Kid’s Korner, the little people left worship for their specific Christian education time. Truth be known, I used the word “crappy” in the main message as well.

After worship, a 6-year-old girl marched right up to me. I knelt down so we were eye-to-eye. Her words stung as she said, “Pastor Dianne, you said a naughty word in church today. Not once. But three times. My parents don’t let me use that word.”

Immediately, I knew which word she was talking about. In her little world, this six-letter word was no different than the four-letter words we instruct our kids and grandchildren not to repeat in public and not-so-public places.

Suddenly, this esteemed pastor learned a lesson. As I apologized to this very aware girl and her parents, I became astutely conscious that what I say, the words I choose, and the context in which the words are spoken, influence people.

Today, let’s choose our words carefully. Thoughtfully. Intentionally. So often, our mouths get engaged without contemplating the words that we use. May my lesson of using wrong words encourage us all to be just a bit more careful with our words!

For words that speak volumes, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – too often, we fail to see just how important the words that we use are. Help us to carefully choose the right words today. Tomorrow. Every day. May our words encourage others. Amen.

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