Words that Give Life
Friend, never take your words for granted!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with Joni and Friends, where I hope you’ll always hear encouraging words for your growth in Christ. Because words count! Jesus says so in Matthew Chapter 12, where He says, “On the day of judgment people will give an account for every careless word they speak.” Wow! True, that’s a little unnerving, but it just goes to show the importance of what we say, words have this curious power to make living things wither and pass away or bring dead things to life. Just like it says in Proverbs 18, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
Well, I am committed to making my words give life; life and hope and encouragement. It’s something I practice daily with my husband. Never have I seen a man respond so well to a good word. I’m not talking about flattery, no, I will tell him, “Ken, thank you for going to visit our neighbor who has cancer; I mean man, that was a thoughtful thing for you to do.” Or I might say, “Ken, I’m so grateful you’re a man of prayer, God bless you for always taking the lead and inviting people to pray with us. Good on ya for that!” Words like that are called affirmation (not flattery, not sweet talk that has no meaning; not smooth speech you say just to get your way), I mean affirmation. That is, a pronouncement or a declaration of the good you see in another person; or at least the good you would like to see, that you want to encourage. My friend, Sam Crabtree has written an excellent little book called “Practicing Affirmation,” in it he provides practical ideas and tips to encourage the people you know.
This is what he suggests. Dr. Crabtree says, “At a committee or board meeting, before moving on to the next agenda item, stop to commend those who worked on the previous item. Or how about this: Explain how another person’s example inspired you to do some good action, like saying to a co-worker, “I brought coffee cake to the office just because I see how much the staff enjoys it when you consistently do thoughtful things.” Another way to affirm others is: don’t talk down to people, talk up to them. Remember what Philippians Chapter 2 says, “that we are not to do or say anything out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility, we are to count others more significant than ourselves.” Or how about this: loan someone something of value; maybe camping gear, the use of your car, because it’s a signal that you notice a virtue in the other person that elevates your confidence in his trustworthiness.
Oh, what life-giving power can be found in an encouraging word or action. Think of all the people you’ll see today; people you know who are going through tough times; recovering from surgery, dealing with grief, coping with pain. Proverbs 12 says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” So why don’t you say that glad word in an email, in person, in a letter, over the phone, or in a note? Remember that what you say has the capacity to change the countenance and the character of others. But the best word of all, how about the Word Himself, Jesus Christ, who always has wonderful guidance for life. You know, many of those treasures that I mentioned are found in the Book of Proverbs. I’d like to send you a really great pamphlet that will help you find those rich insights in this poetic book of the Bible. It’s my gift today, for you. So, just go to Joniradio.org and ask for a free copy of Proverbs. You will love the instructional guide of this beautiful book. Contact us today at joniradio.org. Thanks for listening today on Joni and Friends.
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