Impacting Words

Words mean something. They impact. They shape. They nurture. They comfort. They heal. They wound. Words are active.

There have been some instances in my life of words or phrases that have stuck to me...still as an adult, whether good or bad they have stuck. For instance...

1. (spending the night for one of two times I can actually remember at my grandparents home...I am having a tough time falling asleep...probably crying)

"Why can't you be more like your brother?"

This shaped me and my relationship with my grandmother in huge ways. I knew I would never measure up to Darren. I knew I would never be enough, I would never be as smart, I would always be too emotional...and never Darren. Still some 30 years later these words affect.

2. (Mrs. Golub's 4th grade class. Home of the Mustangs. My brother is in the gifted program - I am not. I am fairly certain this means I am dumb although NO ONE ever said this.)

"Allison, you are smart. You can do this."

Mrs. Golub forever changed me. She was the first teacher to either tell me, or make sure that I actually heard her...that I was SMART. What? I believed her. I am so thankful I did.

(I am in Budapest, Hungary on a trip with the theater dept from TCU. There are 8 students and 2 professors. We are all sitting around eating. I am not sure what the conversation is...however, it does involve some kind of moral something or other...one of my professors leans over the other booth and says.)

"You are so square Unruh."

Hmmm. Really. I have been pondered by his need to weigh in on my choices for my life in the way he did. Note...he had an "open" marriage with his wife so I am sure that I was most definitely square. However, this has stuck with me. Am I looked at this way as a bad thing? I have never really been able to get my head around this one. Still 16 years later it is remembered.

There have been lots of other things "said" to me in my life that have shaped me. I just found it interesting how these three have stuck out to me as I was thinking about this concept. It causes me to wonder and pray about what kind of words are coming out of my mouth that are impacting the little hearts I interact with each day. The interesting thing is I bet if I went back and asked these three people about their words that were said to me none of them would remember. They were passing words. The most dangerous I think.

In those "moments" you have with your kids that are filled with discipline or big moments that you know you need to watch your words...it is those passing words that just come out...so reader...what are your passing words like? My prayer is that I would literally have a muzzle on my mouth for passing words. It says in scripture that I will be held accountable for EVERY word. Crap. Oooops. Every word. Guard well your words...

*pics Hope swinging, Wyatt pretending to be Jake from "Jake and the Never Land Pirates", Caroline who reminds me of a great hat needed in "Hello Dolly"