Speak Life
Proverbs 18:21 “Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (HCSB)
Speaking life is such an opportunity and powerful weapon. Some people will say speak it into existence, but I am not sure that is all true either. It gives you a sense of direction but it is very much that self-help, I can do it on my own mentality that is just exhausting.
Let’s talk about our kids right now in regards to this. Our words carry so much power and our kids look up to us, love us, admire us, and put a lot of weight on what we think and say about them. If all they hear is negative from us then how would we have them believe anything different about themselves.
What if I challenged you to take an inventory of all the things you said to your child/children in just one day? Get a journal, anytime you speak, text, communicate with your child, write it in the journal. At the end of the day, sit down and review, next to each message identify if it is building them up (life) or tearing them down (death). There is no in between, it is either life or death according to the word of God.
Now, do not beat yourself up with this information, allow it to open your eyes and change the interactions for the better with your children. This is how we are going to win with our kids and let them know they are seen, loved, and valued. They have been created for a purpose and for this specific time with their specific giftings from God. Our kids are facing such a fast-paced culture that is constantly bombarding them with messages and most of them are negative.
The messages our children receive on any given day are that they can do better, they are not good enough, they should be thinner, they should kill themselves, hurt themselves etc. As parents we are commissioned to protect, take care of and help them see themselves as God sees them: perfect, loved, precious, valued, important, wanted and the list goes on and on.
What if I was to tell you as a parent, your children are your mission field. Will you get it right all the time? No way! That’s where God’s grace is so important for all of us. It is also why it is so important for you to have a strong, deep rooted relationship with God so He can pour out through you to these amazing, precious gifts we have been entrusted with. I can tell you, it is really easy to write about this, but honestly, God is working on me with this so much right now. Speaking life and encouragement is a special gift of mine straight from God, but man, is it ever so hard with those that are the closest to us and that means my kids and my husband too. #LoveAlways