Let's Talk About Talking

Over the past weekend I have dealt with a difficult situation with a family member and some very hurtful words have been said. Because of this I have decided to talk about the power of words again. I talked about the importance of your words in your marriage HERE so today I want to talk about the importance of your words in your other relationships.

One study I found stated that on average, women speak 20,000 words in a day and men speak on average about 6-7,000 words in a day. It's no surprise that us girls love to talk! We can talk about anything and everything with ten different people each day. We can hash over the same subject for three hours straight giving every single little detail and never get tired of talking. But how many of those words are negative? What do you speak over yourself? over your children and those around you?

As a parent it can be so easy to focus on the areas that you have failed and never see what you've done right. I could spend hours talking about all the areas I have failed my children over the last 6 years on being a mom but there is absolutely nothing positive about that! It does no good to my children or to myself. I could also list all the problems there are with my children and how some of the negative features of their personalities could ruin them as adults. But again, what good would it do?

Instead of speaking these negative words over them and over myself, I chose to speak positive life into these situations. Instead of saying "I'm a failure as a mom" I say "Through Christ, I am and will continue to be a successful mother". Instead of saying "My kids threw a fit so they must be horrible children" I say "They may have messed up but because Christ is in them they will grow to be over comers".

Proverbs 18:21 says "Death and life are in the power of the tongue". And Deuteronomy 30:19 says "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"

Every day you have the choice to make, life or death, blessing or curses. Not only do you make this choice in your actions but remember that you make this choice in your words as well. The words you speak over yourself and those around you is just as important as the actions to walk out around them. Will you chose life or death? Will you chose blessing or cursing? Both options have been put before you and the choice is entirely up to you.