I’m sure you can recall a time when someone’s words caused you deep hurt and pain. What that person said to you cut you to the heart and many times those horrible words that you’ve tried so hard to forget seem to be stuck on repeat in your mind. The words of negativity continue to tear you down many years after they were spoken.

Hopefully, you can also remember a time in your life when someone spoke a word of affirmation, kindness, or love that provided you with great encouragement and comfort. Maybe what they said to you inspired you to do something you would have never thought possible or allowed you to begin to heal from past wounds. Just one thoughtful comment can change a person’s entire life.

There is no denying that our words have power. We must choose to use our words to bring God’s love into the lives of others. Take a moment to watch this brief talk given by Chen Miller, a school teacher in Israel. She shares a story about how she used words to encourage a student who thought very poorly of himself. What is truly inspiring about her story is the reason that she feels called to build up children with the power of words.

5 Tips for Speaking Love into the Lives of Others

1. Pray for healing in your own life. If you are able to recall words that were spoken to you that have now become an inner voice that brings you down, ask the Holy Spirit to replace those negative words with God’s words of love and hope.
2. Read your Bible. Study the Word of God. The more we read about the love of God and how much He cares for us, the more we will desire to share that with others. When we read and meditate on the language of God, it will become the language we speak.
3. Look for opportunities to give affirmation. Children (and adults!) can see through fake praise. Don’t give compliments that have no meaning, but rather look for the virtuous qualities and characteristics of a person that you can point out to them and encourage.
4. Count to 10 and say a prayer. When you feel yourself becoming angry or upset, instead of spouting off a stream of words that you may regret, take a moment to calm yourself down. Find a simple prayer that you can use when you feel yourself becoming agitated. “Jesus, help me to speak to others as You would.”
5. End your day in peace with gratitude, forgiveness, and love. Before going to bed at night, thank the members of your family for all the ways that they have served one another during the day. Take the time to seek forgiveness if there have been any conflicts and, no matter what has occurred during the day, end every night by saying, “I love you.”

“…nobody can tame the tongue — it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison. We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse people who are made in God’s image: the blessing and curse come out of the same mouth.” – James 3:8-10

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