I have noticed a few of my friends post on Facebook today that they have chosen a word for themselves this year. The word will be their focus, their guide. As the year progresses, this word will be their plumb line, their lighthouse when things get rough. It will also help them celebrate when they succeed.
It started me thinking about words. They carry tremendous power so it is important to choose them wisely. It is crucial that we think about the words we use towards others and maybe more importantly towards ourselves. What messages do we allow ourselves to believe? If we make a mistake, do we believe that makes us a failure? If we have a bad hair day does that make us ugly?
As children we are told to choose our words wisely, instead of fighting we were told to use our words to explain why we were frustrated or hurt. Words. They are powerful.
Honesty is vital to me. Many years ago I decided I would work at never saying something about someone I would not say to them. If I could not say something, positive or negative directly to you, I would not say it about you. Whilst I have become much better at that over the years there are still times when I have needed to get clarity about something and talked to a friend in confidence. I chose the friend carefully. Words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. They can cause harm that can not easily be undone.
They can also be life giving. They can extend grace and mercy. They can bring about justice. They can bring healing. Ask anyone who has heard a sincere apology, or been given a clean bill of health by a doctor, or been told they are pregnant after years of waiting, or being told they will be able to adopt a child after being told they are unable to have children.
I want to be the kind of person who encourages others, helps find solutions to problems, and speaks truth in love. I do not need to be artificial. Being honest is just as important when saying something pleasant as it is when saying something that might be more difficult to hear.
If I do tell someone something that is truthful yet hard to hear, I want to make sure I say it in a way that helps them. None of us is perfect. Yet we need each other. Sometimes we are the reflection others need to see. We all have blind spots to our shortcomings. Yet having shortcomings is not a sign of failure. Ignoring them or leaving them as they are is, in my opinion.
Hopefully we are striving daily to be better. Some days we succeed. Some days we do not. Yet day after day it is important that we keep trying. It is important because every person matters. In fact, I would argue, every person matters equally. We may have different roles in society, we live in different places, we have different levels of education. Yet we are all equal.
What words are you using? My word this year will be honesty. Honesty with my family, with my friends, in the workplace, in church but first and foremost with myself.
It started me thinking about words. They carry tremendous power so it is important to choose them wisely. It is crucial that we think about the words we use towards others and maybe more importantly towards ourselves. What messages do we allow ourselves to believe? If we make a mistake, do we believe that makes us a failure? If we have a bad hair day does that make us ugly?
As children we are told to choose our words wisely, instead of fighting we were told to use our words to explain why we were frustrated or hurt. Words. They are powerful.
Honesty is vital to me. Many years ago I decided I would work at never saying something about someone I would not say to them. If I could not say something, positive or negative directly to you, I would not say it about you. Whilst I have become much better at that over the years there are still times when I have needed to get clarity about something and talked to a friend in confidence. I chose the friend carefully. Words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. They can cause harm that can not easily be undone.
They can also be life giving. They can extend grace and mercy. They can bring about justice. They can bring healing. Ask anyone who has heard a sincere apology, or been given a clean bill of health by a doctor, or been told they are pregnant after years of waiting, or being told they will be able to adopt a child after being told they are unable to have children.
I want to be the kind of person who encourages others, helps find solutions to problems, and speaks truth in love. I do not need to be artificial. Being honest is just as important when saying something pleasant as it is when saying something that might be more difficult to hear.
If I do tell someone something that is truthful yet hard to hear, I want to make sure I say it in a way that helps them. None of us is perfect. Yet we need each other. Sometimes we are the reflection others need to see. We all have blind spots to our shortcomings. Yet having shortcomings is not a sign of failure. Ignoring them or leaving them as they are is, in my opinion.
Hopefully we are striving daily to be better. Some days we succeed. Some days we do not. Yet day after day it is important that we keep trying. It is important because every person matters. In fact, I would argue, every person matters equally. We may have different roles in society, we live in different places, we have different levels of education. Yet we are all equal.
What words are you using? My word this year will be honesty. Honesty with my family, with my friends, in the workplace, in church but first and foremost with myself.
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