Words That Inspire

Words spoken in a timely manner and wisely chosen are of great value and worth. When we speak or write with discernment and understanding we have a profound and positive impact on someone else’s life. The same also holds true for the words that are spoken in haste, anger or without any mindful consideration of the effects on the listener. They too have a profound affect, but not a positive one. 

I remember, when as a teenager, my mother said to me, “Terese, I hate you.”

Those words left such a lasting impression on me that forever after, whenever she told me that she loved me, I never believed her. 

Words resound long after they’ve been spoken because they have the power to touch our emotions and become embedded into our memory. Once heard, we can’t unhear. Once said, there is no retracting. 

Though we don’t remember everything that has been said to us, when comforting words are spoken to us in times of stress, those words are not only remembered, but become a foundation upon which our receptiveness of trustful comfort is built. 

My dad set the foundation for my receptiveness to comfort in times of stress when he told me that I’d grow up to be someone special. His words came at a very tenuous time in my life; just before our family broke apart, just before he ended his life. 

Since then, whenever I’m going through a difficult time a dear friend will text me a simple message, “I’m praying for you.” I not only believe her, but I am cheered and encouraged at the same time by her words. 

Though the ability to speak both wise and inspiring words coexist with our ability to speak hasty and angry words, we also possess the ability to think about what we say, before saying it. 

My husband is the one from whom I’ve learned to think before I speak. 

When we first married, I found his long pauses in-between my questions or statements to be irritating. Now, I appreciate and value them. 

His pauses tell me that he is carefully considering his response to my words especially when a careful response is required. His thoughtful consideration before speaking is probably one of the reasons we are still in love and still married. 

Why Bother?

Why bother being grateful for words that inspire? Leif Enger writes in his book I Cheerfully Refuse, “Words are one way we leave tracks in the world,” reminding me that I want my tracks to leave a good lasting impression as opposed to a bad one that lasts forever. 

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who, like me, know they need to change, but are not quite sure where to start. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.