A Change of Words
Sometimes I just sit and wonder. I wonder why so many people have to be unthinking reactionaries like me! Have you ever read the comment section under internet articles? Yikes! Talk about haters. Whoa. Has noone learned the lesson of "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?" Seriously people. Tone it down. What are the generations to come going to think about us as a society of people when they read what all of us have written online? Can I get another "Yikes!" ?
We know that anger, hostility, unkindness, and other negative emotions cause our bodies to send out chemicals that attack our own immune systems. After reading one too many comment sections online I now know why the life expectancy for the newest generation is lower than that of their parents. Did you know that? Were you aware that the life expectancy for our children is less than ours? Yes, it is. Another "Yikes!" perhaps?
This isn't a place for moaning and complaining. It is a positive outlook and action we are craving here, but what? Well, funny you should ask. Just this morning I was lying in bed pondering on the amount of unkind words spoken in my house, too many being thrown out to my way of thinking. I want a loving healthy home, a place of safety and refuge.
The vision of home in my mind is one of perfectly imperfect real people living real life together. A place where the negative is accidental rather than intentional and always followed by "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" A place where "Will you forgive me?" is answered with "I forgive you." Better still, a place where "I love you. I forgive you." sometimes comes before "Will you forgive me?" Because all of us have us "a day" when the apologies come slow once in a while.
How does such a lovely home vision come into being? Well, I don't know the exactness of every detail, but the first thing I know is that Jesus must be Lord. God is love. Without love our words won't be able to become less yuck and more kind. More of the One who is love is essential. Another must do that came to me during my early morning pondering is for mama, that's me, to change the way she speaks. Yep, this is where the rubber meets the road folks. Mama's got to become the sort of mother who lives in the sort of home I crave. I can't continue to tell my children to "Be nice. Speak kindly." then grouch and growl myself, no matter what time of the month it is.
Don't despise small beginnings may become the mantra for my positive words campaign. I may only be one mama, but I have seven children. Those seven children will interact with hundreds upon hundreds of people in their lifetimes. Those hundreds of people will in turn interact with hundreds more. It only takes one determined mama to make a difference in the lives of a few people, but a few people contain the potential to alter the course of an entire generation, maybe even mankind as a whole. So, one word at a time I am determined to change the contribution my words make to the atmosphere within our home starting right now.
Isn't that funny how God provides immediate opportunity? You should hear the ruckus going on in this house. Grace. There's the next key. We're going to need grace from God to change our words.
Talk to you later dear friend.
Learning to speak kind grace,
Abundantly Blessed
We know that anger, hostility, unkindness, and other negative emotions cause our bodies to send out chemicals that attack our own immune systems. After reading one too many comment sections online I now know why the life expectancy for the newest generation is lower than that of their parents. Did you know that? Were you aware that the life expectancy for our children is less than ours? Yes, it is. Another "Yikes!" perhaps?
This isn't a place for moaning and complaining. It is a positive outlook and action we are craving here, but what? Well, funny you should ask. Just this morning I was lying in bed pondering on the amount of unkind words spoken in my house, too many being thrown out to my way of thinking. I want a loving healthy home, a place of safety and refuge.
The vision of home in my mind is one of perfectly imperfect real people living real life together. A place where the negative is accidental rather than intentional and always followed by "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" A place where "Will you forgive me?" is answered with "I forgive you." Better still, a place where "I love you. I forgive you." sometimes comes before "Will you forgive me?" Because all of us have us "a day" when the apologies come slow once in a while.
How does such a lovely home vision come into being? Well, I don't know the exactness of every detail, but the first thing I know is that Jesus must be Lord. God is love. Without love our words won't be able to become less yuck and more kind. More of the One who is love is essential. Another must do that came to me during my early morning pondering is for mama, that's me, to change the way she speaks. Yep, this is where the rubber meets the road folks. Mama's got to become the sort of mother who lives in the sort of home I crave. I can't continue to tell my children to "Be nice. Speak kindly." then grouch and growl myself, no matter what time of the month it is.
Don't despise small beginnings may become the mantra for my positive words campaign. I may only be one mama, but I have seven children. Those seven children will interact with hundreds upon hundreds of people in their lifetimes. Those hundreds of people will in turn interact with hundreds more. It only takes one determined mama to make a difference in the lives of a few people, but a few people contain the potential to alter the course of an entire generation, maybe even mankind as a whole. So, one word at a time I am determined to change the contribution my words make to the atmosphere within our home starting right now.
Isn't that funny how God provides immediate opportunity? You should hear the ruckus going on in this house. Grace. There's the next key. We're going to need grace from God to change our words.
Talk to you later dear friend.
Learning to speak kind grace,
Abundantly Blessed