Recently I was faced with a decision to make. It was a recurring decision that most of us make without much thought. Someone said a pretty negative thing to me, and the decision to be made was; how do I react? 

Now, most of the time, like many others reading, I simply put the conversation on hault and begin to let my true feelings and emotions show regardless of any consequences. This time I decided to take a different approach. I decided to “zip my lip” take a metaphorical step back and acess the situation. In doing so, I was able to realize that my situation wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. 

See, in taking a step back, I found that the person who said the hurtful statement had no experience in what they were speaking on. I was reminded that said person was only able to see through his/her own goggles, not the goggles that are required for this particular situation. 

Stepping back also reminded me how when I am faced with giving advise to another I should choose the words I say wisely. Words to help bring another up instead of tearing them down. Guys, I’m not saying there won’t be times when critical words should be said, I’m trying to remind all of us that words hold power over people. Choose the power that helps them out, rather than keeping them stuck in. 

Prayer:

We do not want to discourage others, instead we want to encourage. We know the importance of encouragement, we also understand that our words have power. Give us the words you need to be heard. In Jesus name. -Amen