The Power of Your Words
Our words are so powerful. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I truly learned that what we say really does matter. Our words can be used to help or to harm. This applies to the words that we say to others and the words that we say to ourself. I’m sure you can think back to a time when someone said something that caused your feelings to be hurt and maybe even left an emotional scar. It’s something everyone has dealt with at some point in their life. But on the flip side, it’s nice when you can reflect back to a time when someone said something to you that inspired you and made you feel good about yourself.
As parents, the words that we say to our kids affects them either positively or negatively. Our words should be used to show love and to encourage our kids to do their best. This doesn’t mean we should stop correcting our kids when they do wrong, because correcting our children helps them. It means we need to carefully choose our words.
You can choose your words wisely to get your point across without being demeaning. Here’s an example parents can relate to. A child might be messy and have a hard time keeping their room clean. A parent can say, “I think we need to work together to come up with a plan to help you clean your room each day. Your mind will be more calm and focused when your room is clean. I’m going to help you with it. Then it will be your responsibility to follow the chart and systems we have in place.” This response is better than screaming at the child and telling them they are a slob and can never do anything right.
Here is another example. A child may struggle in math. A parent can say, “I see you received a low grade for math on your report card. We really need to figure out a plan to help you increase your math grades. Your grades matter, so we are going to review and redo the math problems that you got wrong from your graded papers. We will work hard on math facts and other areas that you need help with. And you will need to take responsibility for your work. I know that if you have a good attitude and work really hard that you can improve your grade”. This response will be more receptive from your child than if you yell at them and make them feel like a failure.
There are many Bible verses that talk about the power of our words. I hope you can set aside a few minutes to read the following: Provers 18:21 (NIV), Proverbs 15:1 (NIV), Proverbs 12:18 (NIV), Ephesians 4:29 (NIV).
Choosing the right words gives us the power to deescalate heated and intense situations. I remember a time I was on the phone with someone to tell them about a decision I had made. They did not receive the information well and their tone and words in response to me were not kind. After she finished talking, I calmly told her I can understand why she feels the way she feels, and that my intentions were not to upset her or anyone, but that this was best for me and my family. After hearing me out her total attitude changed and she was kind and respectful to me.
After learning about the power of words, I am more intentional about speaking positive words to myself. I no longer let my insecurities and weaknesses get the best of me, like I did in the past. I remind myself that I am a child of God. And I love who God made me to be, even with my flaws. I fill my mind with positive things so that positive words will flow out of my mouth when I speak. I speak good things about my family’s future because I believe God has a great plan for our lives.
I hope you are encouraged to understand how powerful your words are. Of course there will be times when we will mess up with our words. But we can humble ourselves and apologize when necessary. You will see a positive change in your life and your kids’ lives when you understand how powerful your words are and use them wisely. Kids are always paying attention to what we say and that is their model. It’s important that we use our words wisely.