“Every word matters. Speak kindly”

Have you ever been hurt by a friends words? Someone says something in the heat of the moment, the moment passes, but the words stick with you? That's happening to me right now and the words keep playing back over and over again in my head.

Each word you speak has power behind it- the power to build up, or the power to tear down. So how do you choose to spend your words?

Every single person has, at some point in life, opened their mouth to say something, and then immediately regretted it. Whether it be harsh gossip, a bad joke, a pointless story, a TMI moment, or whatever, it’s happened to everyone. The thing with words is that they can never be unheard, and you may not even recognize their power.
 Let’s take the first part of that. Words can never be unheard. Once you say something, you can try to retract, you can apologize, or you can try to explain yourself, but the words that you said can never be taken back. When I was a camp counselor I explained this concept to my campers by using a toothpaste analogy. I walked around and let each child squeeze a dot of toothpaste onto their fingers. Then I passed around the tube and asked them to try to put the toothpaste back in the tube. I could see them becoming frustrated when they couldn’t get it back in. I then explained that their words were very much like this toothpaste. Once it was out, it could never go back to where it came from. Sure, they could wipe it off or wash their hands, but the damage was done and the toothpaste was out. This is why it is so important to be careful with what we say.
The second part is this: Words can be more powerful than you know. Again, it’s happened to all of us. Someone says something to you that seems unimportant at the time, but you find yourself replaying their words days, weeks, months, and even years later. There are things that were said to me back in elementary school that I still remember and carry with me. So although it may just seem like a silly comment to you, remember that your words carry weight and can mean more to a person than you know.

Which is why it’s good to remember that our words can be used to both build a person up, or tear a person down. The choice really is yours.

Remember: “Each word or thought of yours can be like a pearl that you drop into the secret place of another heart, and in some hour of need, the recipient finds the treasure and realizes for the first time its value.”

                                                                                        *photo credit*

Random Acts of Christmas Kindness: Day 1

So today was day 1 of my “12 days of random acts of kindness”, and it was awesome. I spent a lot of my day brainstorming some ideas for the rest of the 12 days and thinking about what I would do today. I decided that for tomorrow I would bake some cookies for our landlord, so I ran out to the grocery to get the cookie dough. While waiting in the check out line, I picked up a Food Lion gift card and decided that would be my random act of kindness for the day. I got to the cashier, paid for my dough, and got $10 put on the gift card. Meanwhile, in line behind me was a cute older lady who had a good amount of groceries. Before walking away, I turned to the lady, handed her the gift card and told her Merry Christmas. Her reaction was worth more than $10, for sure. She let out a little gasp and looked totally surprised. She kept saying “Seriously? Is this for me? Are you serious?” And after I assured her that it was for her, and wished her Merry Christmas a few more times, she began to cry. I knew I had to get out of there before I started crying, so I gave her a smile and walked away. As I was walking out I could hear the cashier saying “Wow. Wow. That was so nice. I can’t believe that just happened. That was so nice.”

Lesson of the day. It seems like a little kindness can go a long way. I hope that the cahier and the lady are inspired to maybe do something good for others this holiday season. I honestly can’t wait for tomorrow and another random act of kindness!

PS- I have already heard from 2 people that they've been inspired to do the same! Can't wait to hear about it!

Be Kind. Please.

My thoughts on hate:

Today I was deeply saddened by some remarks on Twitter. There are some very cowardly and weak cyber bullies ganging up on a woman. They are hating and saying such hurtful things to this woman solely based on the fact that she is a lesbian. They are telling her that because of her lifestyle and sexual preference, she will get cancer, and that when she gets sick no one will feel bad for her because she will deserve it. They are also telling her to kill herself. I am honestly shocked watching all of this go down. If someone’s choices and lifestyle aren’t directly affecting you, then why must you judge them or hate them? If someone chooses a different way of life and you don’t agree with it (and it’s not doing harm to others), keep your mouth shut. I honestly believe that cyber bullying is the most cowardly act. Most of the time cyber bullies don’t actually personally know their victim, yet don’t agree with their lifestyle or simply just need a reason to put others down to make them feel better about themselves. Maybe the bully is lonely and acting out for attention, or maybe they have passionate views that disagree with others. No matter what the reason, bullying and hate are never the answers. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me? That’s a lie. Words hurt. And once they are out, you cannot take them back. So please, think before you speak. Be as open-minded and educated as possible before you say something that may seriously hurt someones feelings. It is absolutely 100% never okay to tell someone that their life is not worth living. Especially under the name of God. God calls us to love one another. In fact, Mark 12:31 says “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is not greater commandment than these.” So really who are we to judge others? Who are we to police other peoples personal choices and actions? Many times I think that social media is a great way to get connected with people from all different walks of life, however when clearly ignorant and hateful people use it in the wrong way, it just hurts my heart. So please. PLEASE. Be kind. And stand up to bullies. There’s no need to pick a fight and give them the attention that they are so desperately seeking. But go ahead and block them, report them, and make sure you are an advocate for love, not hate.