Life Coaching: Why Words Matter

I am having a crisis of conscience...well, it’s a crisis for me, at any rate. What do you do when you know something needs to be said, yet you just don’t know how to say it? I am seldom at a loss for words, but I feel that way today. 

How can we address delicate situations with love? What words do we use? How important are those words in the grand scheme of things? I would submit this: Words matter. The words we choose to use when addressing others are extremely important. I remember when I was a kid we had a saying: “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That is a bare faced lie. Words can harm us more than blows. Words can wreak havoc on our self-esteem, devastate our children, and leave us depressed and lonely. I am more and more conscious of that as I age. 

What legacy do we leave behind? Largely, it’s a legacy of words. Words spoken in love, words spoken in haste, and words spoken in anger. It takes only one second to stop and think about our  words, and it can save us a thousand movements of regret. People remember words spoken in anger far more than they remember words spoken in peace. It seems strange, doesn’t it? I honestly believe the devil makes certain we remember those devastating words because that is what he does—tear down the army of the Lord until they are debilitated to the point of no longer being a threat to him. What are we gonna do about that? 

I, for one, am gonna be kind. Even when it’s hard, I choose kindness. I am choosing life instead of death. And I am asking you to choose life with me. Let’s do this life together with love and kindness, letting God lead us and allowing Him to guide us with His Word. I am not advocating letting people walk all over us. There’s a time to speak and a time to keep silent. I get that. But just because we CAN speak doesn’t always mean we SHOULD.. Let the Holy Spirit lead. 

This was a bit of a ramble, but I hope you guys don’t mind. I am on vacation and trying to do a little soul searching this week. God bless you!