Speak Life: The Ripple Effect

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs18:21

The song, Speak Life by Toby Mac has been stuck in my head lately.  I’ve been singing it all over the house and in the car.  It got me thinking about the life speakers in my own life.  They are the people who always strive to be an encouragement and show the love of Jesus.

My mom is one of my life speakers.  I’ll never forget one afternoon when she came over to visit.  I was running ragged that day.  My three year old son was testing the boundaries, like kids tend to do and my newborn was fussy.  I stood in the entrance to the living room and sighed, feeling worn out.

She just smiled at me and said.  “You’re a good mom, Rachel.”  Her encouraging words lifted my spirits and helped me be patient with my kids.  It had a positive effect on my entire day.

Words are powerful.  They have the power to build up or break down, to encourage or discourage.  Every day we can choose what words we say to others.  One version of Proverbs 18:21 says, Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose (MSG).

Lately I’ve been making it a priority to pray that God uses me as an encouragement to at least one person each day.  Even if it just happens to be my husband or kids that day.  It’s amazing what an encouraging word can do.  It’s contagious.  It’s like dropping a stone into a body of water.  The ripple effect gets wider and wider and soon it’s ten times as larger than the initial splash.  An encouraging word can ripple out, effecting people we might not even know.

So thank you, life speakers and keep making ripples. J  God is using you more than you know!

Thank you for reading and keep shining for him!

*Photo Credit: (Gualberto107) www.freedigitalphotos.net