NEW DAY NEW LESSON

I don’t think there is a single person who can honestly say that there aren’t some things they wish they had never said. Once words have escaped your lips they can’t be “taken back” or erased. They continue to live on in a person’s memory, whether you want them to or not.

Both uttered and written words wield much power. They have the power to make someone feel insignificant, to make someone feel shamed, to hurt and to promote hate.

In Judaism there is a saying that says that when you embarrass someone, it’s as if you have destroyed a whole world. Your embarrassing words really do have the potential to destroy a person or cause them to in turn to destroy or harm others because of the effects of the hate and embarrassment they felt they once received.

At times words can be said in a well meaning way by one person, but taken badly by the person at the other end. An example is how Nickie at Typecast felt about words said to her when her daughter had cancer.

Words that a teacher said to us are sometimes ingrained into our memories, like the story recounted by Annie at Belle Joie. I know I still vividly remember a high school teacher’s explanation of heaven and hell. A graphic explanation that for many years was the cause of terrible fears and nightmares.

A nasty remark or criticism said in the wrong way to a child can leave a lasting scar and can lower the child’s self esteem. A flip remark made to your spouse because you were feeling overwhelmed can leave a lasting imprint.

There is no doubt that words can cause much damage.

But words can also be used wisely.

Words  have the power to encourage, to inspire, to uplift and to harbor love and goodwill.

There are people who remember a random kind word for the rest of their lives. A word of encouragement can make the difference between someone living a meaningful life or just trudging along on the road we call life.

How many times has something nice someone said to you sparked an idea in your head and changed your direction?

How many times has a sincere compliment to someone make them beam?

Words are powerful.

We need to learn to be more careful about the words that we use and the tone we use them in. Our words have an amazing amount of impact on individual people and on the world. We really do need to remember how to correctly use this amazing tool we were granted and use our words to their fullest good potential.

Words can make us or break us as well as others around us.

Are you going to remember to use your gift of words for good?

So how did you guys all do with this week’s Kindness Club Week 8 prompt of every day giving someone a sincere compliment?
Go on and write a post about your experiences. (Don’t forget to use the URL from your post not your site). The link will be open for a week. (Sunday-Sunday)
Make sure to come back on Tuesday for this week’s Kindness Club Prompt.
Can’t wait to hear your stories.

Images:
WORDS ARE TOOLS
© Stevan Sheets | Flickr Creative Commons

WORDS STING
© Irina Patrascu | Flickr Creative Commons