Skip to main content

In Other Words - Kind Words

In Other Words presents an opportunity to discuss a chosen quote each week. Today In Other Words is hosted by Susan at Forever His.

The above quote is one I embraced. One of the characteristics I would like to have more evident in my life this year is kindness. As I child I was not raised in a Christian home. Love was evident, but kindness was not a part of daily life. Kind words were not given freely. They were reserved for extra special events or deeds. Through the years I have gained a greater understanding of the power of words. Many times I read Proverbs and gain a clearer view of the power of words and the effects of them. Some of my favorite Proverbs are:

"The tongue of the righteous is choice silver." Proverbs 10:20
"...but the mouth of the upright will deliver them." Proverbs 12:6
"...but the tongue of the wise promotes health." Proverbs 12:18
"Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad." Proverbs 12:25
"A soft answer turns away wrath... The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly." Proverbs 15:1,2
"A man has joy by the answer of his mouth and a word spoken in due season, how good it is." Proverbs 15:23
And my favorite: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31:26
These are some powerful verses about our words. There are many more in God's Word which encourage us to speak kindly and expound on the power of our words.

In my teenage years, one of the things we did was to write your name and let other know you were "there". Any paper or prominent place was subject to be marked with a tag such as "Joy wuz here". That was our way of letting others know "we were there".

Kind words allow us to "leave our mark" on others, while pointing them to the love and power of God. An act of kindness can be as simple as a smile, a "hello", a thoughtful comment or kind word. There are times we encounter people hurting and we don't know what to say. A simple "I am praying for you" conveys much love and kindness. Your following up and praying for them opens up the channel for God to do His work in their life. A beautiful reminder for us is found again, in Proverbs; "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due; when it is in the power of your hand to do so." Proverbs 3:27

May we all be encouraged to seize each opportunity to speak and show kindness. The results are amazing!


Labels:

Comments

  1. SusanJanuary 13, 2009 at 12:04 PM

    Hi Joyful,

    I'm so blessed you joined us today! This post was great.

    You made many great points. Yes, we do leave marks, and our words are them.

    Your blog is so beatiful. I'll be back to enjoy it some more.

    Blessings to you this day♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laurie AnnJanuary 13, 2009 at 12:13 PM

    The power of the words we speak is definitely something we should consider before speaking them. Thanks for the reminder that our words do leave a mark...excellent post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. loriJanuary 13, 2009 at 1:32 PM

    I laughed...mine read, "lori wuz here!" We do leave that same kind of mark with our words...I'm such a visual gal....can still see that composition notebook with my NAME all over it!

    Thanks for the blessing of a post today!
    peace,
    lori

    ReplyDelete
  4. Esthermay Bentley-GoossenJanuary 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM

    I appreciate that you remind us to follow-up when we tell someone, "I'm praying for you."

    It has become part of our routine as Christians to offer words like these as a matter of -- almost "common courtesy." Actually doing it and even sending a card to remind them again that we care is a true act of love and not a very common practice. Thank you for the great reminder!

    Flashback time yes!! I used to draw these cool-hippie-version-flowerpower daisies with my "Esthermay was here."

    ~esthermay @The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

    ReplyDelete
  5. CharlotteJanuary 13, 2009 at 3:53 PM

    Hi Joyfull
    I just wanted to let you know that I passed an award on to you. It is posted on my At Home in Scottsdale blog.
    Charlotte

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2009 at 6:28 PM

    You're not alone! I need to exercise much more kindness and grace in 2009. Thanks for the scriptural reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  7. michelleJanuary 13, 2009 at 8:28 PM

    This is a great post, full of truth! :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing your commment. It is a joy and blessing to hear from you and your words are appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Workout DVDs

Prevention Magazine is a leader in health and fitness news and products. They recently came up with the top 10 list of workout DVDs. They have examined the many fitness DVDs out there and narrowed down a list of the best ones. There is a DVD for every fitness level. If you are looking to incorporate some exercise into your day in the convenience of your own home, take a look at this list. Here is an additional money saving tip:  If you see a DVD that you are interested in, check out Amazon or Ebay before ordering.  Many times they have pre-owned DVDs at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
1 comment
Read more

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We...
17 comments
Read more

Word Filled Wednesday – Act Justly

He has shown you, O man, what is good;       And what does the LORD require of you                But to do justly, To love mercy,       And to walk humbly with your God?    Micah 6:8 Sometimes we struggle so hard with the question “What does God want us to do and be?”  This verse is a simple yet powerful reminder of some simple things that God requires of us.  Act and do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God.  There are numerous opportunities each day to do justly, to do the right thing or to make the right choice.  We love mercy when we show kindness or mercy oftentimes to those who do not deserve it.  Walking humbly before God is acknowledging He alone is God.  He is the I AM – no one else is.  When we give Him the glory He is worthy of, it will humble our heart before Him....
13 comments
Read more