Tag: words

A Grace Perspective

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

I love to be shown grace. I deeply appreciate the many times my unwise words are forgiven, my lack of kindness is excused, and my ignorance is overlooked. I am awed by the grace God extends when my bad behavior is repeated, or my neglect reveals my selfishness, or my complaints are shamefully without excuse.

Grace—unmerited favor—so sweet to receive and so challenging to give.

This week, we are mourning the loss of a man who exhibited grace. This is not a eulogy for Charlie Kirk, but an acknowledgement of his inspiration as a grace-giver who demonstrated tolerance and acceptance without compromising his beliefs.

My prayer and hope is that Christians and Americans, and all who have eyes to see and ears to hear, will examine their hearts and the words that flow out of them. May our words reflect the remarkable grace God has shown us.

O Lord, may we be like You.

Let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth,

but only that which is good for building up,

that it may give grace to the listeners.

Ephesians 4:29 MEV

Heat Wave Ravages Our Country, 4

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

Lest you accuse me of exaggerating my title, let me clarify—not all heat waves are physical. An emotional heat wave is storming our land. As per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, overheated people are “marked by anger or passion,” and today there are a lot of overheated people in the USA. Please note, this is a bipartisan observation.

How I long for mature conversations, intelligent and well-thought-out, unsullied with cursing and swearing. How I cringe when adults who are purported to be educated and wise exhibit behavior I admonished when raising my children. How I pray for reason and respect to be valued, and for dialogue to reflect Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:29:

“Don’t use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful,
so that your words will be an
encouragement to those who hear them.”,

I can only start with myself. Do my words ignite or inspire? Do they accuse or advocate? Do they edify or smother? Demean or discuss? Discourage or persuade?

One last thought from James, chapter 4:

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters… Your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone… is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?”

Let’s do our best to relieve the heat wave ravaging our land.

Powerful Words from Generous Hearts

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

I was recently doubting myself in two areas. In each instance someone spoke words that flipped my perspective and sparked joy.

First, I was feeling down about my hair—I’m losing it! Not a big deal, but a distraction. I faithfully thanked God it wasn’t due to disease or chemo treatments, just another aging nuisance. Still, I told Him I’d really like it to stop.

We attend a super-friendly church and each Sunday are enthusiastically greeted like our being there is the best thing ever. Two weeks ago the greeter, a stranger to me, exclaimed, “I love your hair! It looks so healthy!” Now, people may have commented on my hair style or color, but no one ever has remarked on its health. I’m guessing you’ve never been told that either. What an unusual comment—and exactly what I needed to hear! I thanked her for being so outgoing and unwittingly building me up. Now I brush the hair off my shoulders and say to myself, “What healthy hair!” You know, I think less is falling!

The second self-doubt came this morning. I felt dry and was praying about what to post this week. I questioned if I should take a blog break. In the middle of my musing a new friend texted me, “I felt compelled to start reading your blog! I’ve read a few and I’m now a subscriber!” Wow! Then a second friend in the chat responded that she knew nothing about following a blog, “I was just reading it. So good!” They knew nothing about my struggle but spoke words of life and… here I am!

I hope you’re encouraged to speak up, to let compliments and positive words flow. We’ve had this safety measure drilled in us: “If you see something, say something.” Let’s steal the mantra to remind us to say kind words to others.  

Ephesians tells us to speak…“what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (4:29). In the communications I described words were spoken to build me up. The speakers didn’t know of my need, but God did, and He used them to bless.

Friends, let’s be generous with words that compliment, edify, and encourage. According to Proverbs 25:11 (ESV),

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

Share a golden apple today!