Words ... they have such power. Simple syllables strung together can break, heal, destroy and mend.
The world around us seems to have gone crazy with their words. Have you heard some of the phrases dribbling out of mouths lately? As a momma, how do I teach my lil' warriors to wield these weapons with grace and kindness?
Honesty here, it's a battle I have fought as well. Those sneaky syllables seem to slip out when I least expect it. Discouraging remarks. A raised frustrated tone. Words ran rampant in our home, and not the best ones either.
By no means am I an expert, but I am mom. And we have been getting a tight grip on our words. Wanna know how? Happy you asked ...
Get creative. March into battle. Take it into our every day.
We call them building words, straight from Ephesians 4:29. And yes, we sing that verse in our home as well. As for now, think of a slew of kids and mom singing a bit off key to our own tune with catchy hand signals ...
"Do not let any unwholesome talk, come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up ..."
To teach the power of our words, we grabbed our wooden building blocks. Any blocks will do ... We all took turns saying kinds things about mom. I even joined in the fun. With each kind thing, our tower built up, block after block, word after word. Then, with one quick word of unkindness out of my mouth about myself, I hit the tower sending blocks scrambling to the floor. Eyes popped wide. Hearts ready to listen.
Words build up. Words tear down. Really, there is no in between. This led to lively discussions around our home. My kids, blesstheirhearts, really dig deep. Is everything I say either building someone up or tearing them down? Can we really do this, ALL the time? Would God give us this command if it was impossible? And we dug together.
Its taken time and we're going strong. As we grasp the power of our words, these kids and their momma might just change the world, syllable by syllable.
It's Tuesday. Missed the Momma Monday by a day. New momma here. Baby slumbering in our home. Grace. Thanks. But I couldn't miss your words. I would be splashed happy to have you link up with momma notes. Anything gloriously mom. Our notes. Creating a melody.
It's Tuesday. Missed the Momma Monday by a day. New momma here. Baby slumbering in our home. Grace. Thanks. But I couldn't miss your words. I would be splashed happy to have you link up with momma notes. Anything gloriously mom. Our notes. Creating a melody.
15 comments:
Excellent! We will try this tomorrow in our home with the blocks. Thank you and bless you for loving this little babe.
Beautiful encouragement to be careful of what we say. Our words can bring life or death.
This is so powerful. Such building words. It reminds me of the old school chant with a new twist - "Sticks and stones will break my bones, and words will break my heart." Or build it.
Inspiring!
Yes, we need to watch what we say, and teaching this to our children is so important.
Thanks for sharing!
Blessings!
Amen
You are so right about the power of words. Great idea for teaching this concept to your little ones!
Watching my two youngest go through "the" stage" (there's always a stage) almost 13 and 15 - they use words to tear at each other - and it's as though for a moment they no longer have a relationship. I'm going to use your wonderful idea (they NEVER outgrow legos:) - and maybe they will see it more clearly. Thanks for sharing a wonderful hands-on-learning activity
Thanks for sharing. I'm having a hard time teaching my toddler to stop using the word no. I'll have to add the block idea to my tool kit!
Thank you so much for sharing. I really love the idea of using the blocks as a visual to drive this lesson home. What a wonderful idea! I am going to do this with my kiddos in tomorrow's Bible study.
Love the word pictures, Sarah. You make me smile :0)
Love the words pictures, Sarah! You make me smile :0)
so true!!! When I find myself doing that, I have to take a deep breath and count to 10 so that I am careful what words come out.
Heather
Appreciate your sharing.
{Melinda} Love this post. And I love that verse. Even though it is SO convicting! Words have been a real challenge in my house -- especially this week. We have been on vacation, with each other 24/7, getting on each other's nerves. I'm determined to continue to hold myself and my children accountable for the words they speak. They either bring life or death. I want all of us to speak life-giving words.
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