There is a story about a group of frogs that were traveling through the woods when two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.
The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump out of the pit with all of their might. The group of frogs kept telling them to stop because they were as good as dead.
Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The second frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out.
You see this frog was deaf, unable to hear what the others were saying. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
This story teaches a lesson...."You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say. What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words" (Proverbs 18: 20,21).
A pearl to string: There is the power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill their joy. Are there times your words can be intimidating because of the strength of your opinion and how verbal you are in expressing that opinion? Proverbs 15:1 tells us that "A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare." Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.
The power of words... an encouraging word can go such a long way.
May your words be a blessing to someone today.
Remember you are loved,
Lyndi
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