Creating

Genesis 1:3

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

One of the things I love about the creation story is how God creates. He speaks everything into being. I don’t believe we have the power to say, “Pizza” or “Boat.”  We do however have the power to create and destroy with our words. Our words can bring life or death.

Do you remember the childhood saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me!”? Wow, how wrong that is!

Think about when you’ve been complimented? Did your boss, spouse, parent, child, friend tell you that you did an excellent job at something? Did they tell you how hard you worked? Did they praise your love, kindness or patience? What did that do to your spirit? Did it make you want to be even better? Did it build you up?

Think about when you’ve been told you failed or weren’t good enough? Did it tear you down? Did it make you feel less than?

We have the ability to speak life and death, the ability to create life, or take life away.

I had friends years ago. The wife regularly told her husband he just wasn’t measuring up, essentially to be a responsible adult. And honestly, she wasn’t wrong, but I remember thinking if I was her husband I wouldn’t have much of a desire to measure up either.

Now, she couldn’t have honestly told him he was an amazing husband and employee and made it so, but she could have done better speaking life into him instead of death.

This kind of thing has always been a challenge in parenting. How do you correct kids AND speak life. I try and remind them of who they are, even when they aren’t acting like it.

We all can, speak life into others to help build them up and encourage them.

Reflection:

Who has spoken life or death to you?

Who have you been speaking life to?

Who have you been speaking death to?

Who is God putting in your path to speak life to?