We’ve all heard that and hopefully we all know nothing could be further than the truth.

Words are powerful.

If you read Angie’s blog you may have recently read her post titled, In the Mending {a series}.

After reading through that post and then reading the over 100 comments behind it (which is something I rarely do), it opened my eyes even more to the great responsibility as a mother that I have to speak words of blessing to my children.

I read about an adoptee who was told by her adoptive mother that she would “amount to nothing”.

A woman who remembers her father calling her “fat pig”.

A woman whose husband of 19 years left her for another woman.

A woman who remembers being in 6th grade and desperately wanting to be invited to a certain party. Her friends helped her wear a “cool outfit” so that she would hopefully be “cool enough” to get an invite. She never did and carried that rejection with her throughout her life.

This same woman had a son who wanted to have birthday party when he turned seven. His mother said he could have a party as long as he invited every single boy in his class.

One little boy’s mother came up to her at the end of the party and thanked her profusely for inviting her son because this had been his first ever birthday party; he had never been invited before and was so excited to attend this party he had slept the night before in his Sunday best in anticipation of the party.

A woman who remember coming home as a kid with a 96 on a test and was told, “That’s good, but maybe next time you will get a 100.”

A woman who was told by her dance teacher at the age of seven that she would never be a good dancer because she was too fat.

A woman going through infertility who received an email from another woman stating if she was a better Christian, God would give her a baby.

A woman who was verbally abused by her adoptive father.

I just kept reading until I got to the very end…

And all I could think about was how much POWER we as parents have in speaking words that will kill the very spirit of our children or speaking words of blessing that will build our children up and help them be who God desires them to be.

Many of the people who left comments on Angie’s post have been walking around with a wound inflicted by words that someone spoke to them decades ago.

What was said was so powerful to the point that it has altered the way they perceive themselves and affected many, if not all, of their future relationships (with a spouse, friends, employer).

All of these stories broke my heart for these people but, I guess you could say, the stories about a parent inflicting a wound on their child by the words they spoke to them, made me angry.

We must think before we speak!!!!

Especially when it comes to our children!!!!

I am sure all of these parents who are guilty of inflicting this wound on their children carry a wound themselves from someone in their past, but that does not make it “okay” to speak like this to children.

Words are powerful and I pray that I take every opportunity possible to speak words of love and encouragement to my daughters and not words that will tear down their little spirits and make them feel like nothing.

Today, speak words of love and encouragement to someone! Just as those negative words have the potential to stick with that person for a lifetime, a word of encouragement has the potential to change the course of someone’s life, too.

Be that person for someone today!

- Elaine