PROVERBS 15:1
Words affect me a great deal. If I get a compliment or encouragement after a long hard day, it always puts me in a good mood, no matter how horrible the day was. On the flip side, a harsh or discouraging comment from someone will take me right down, and it usually takes a whole lot of kind words to bring me back up again. I wish I could say that my own sensitivity to words has taught me to use them gently and wisely with other people, but that is not always the case. I have to keep reminding myself that I can either encourage someone or break them down, even in just a simple conversation. Our words are powerful, and they are like clothes on the final-sale rack: We can’t take them back!
Lindsay Oliver, 15, Cedar Hall School, Nashville, TN
Words can hurt me so much, Jesus.
So please help me to save other people the pain
that I sometimes feel. Help me to say more
kind things and be less hurtful.