Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those that listen.”
I have been feeling very convicted about how we have been talking to each other in our home lately. Specifically, the word that the Lord has placed on my heart is “gracious.” I have not been gracious in my speech and I believe this is why my children are now being much uglier to each other with their words as well. I have been too harsh and lost my temper more than I would like to admit. When I am angry, the words that come out of my mouth are said in a mean or exasperated tone. Today, I confessed my sin to my kids and asked them to help me (and all of us) to work on this. We read and talked about this verse together.
We talked about what it means to “build each other up” and to “tear one another down.” We talked about specific examples for each category and are going to work together on finding words and phrases to build up and encourage one other. We need to practice!
Here are the phrases that my children thought of for each category.
Lord, we need your help. It is my desire to speak lovingly to my children…I want them to hear Your voice through me. But I confess that they don’t always hear that voice. I want that to change. But I need Your power in me to make that change…help me.
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