The Words Of A Parent

January 17 – Today’s Readings – Genesis 49-50 and Psalms 17

My meditation today concerns the power of the tongue – in this case, Jacob’s tongue – the words of a parent. The pronouncement of blessing or rebuke upon his children profoundly impacted whether they would be blessed and prosper or not. He had enormous “word power” by saying certain things and showing approval or disapproval towards his children.

Before I comment further, let me remind you of the incredible power resident in our words as we interact with our spouses, our children, and those around us each day. People “sense” blessing or opposition from us every time we interact with them. We also have the capacity to create an environment in which people can prosper by the words we speak. How we speak to our immediate family members is especially important here. We are obviously concerned about their success but are we speaking words of success over them? I once heard an Italian comedian tell a joke about the difference between an Italian momma and a Jewish momma: – The Italian mom would call out the window every morning; “Luigi – did you remember your lunch!” – whereas the Jewish mom would call out; “Levi, did you remember your books!” This is of course a comedic exaggeration of cultural differences, but our children’s success really does begin with the words they hear from an early age.

Here’s the plan – let’s make people MORE successful by speaking blessing into their lives – by being the one who constantly believes in them.

Here are three Proverbs about “words” worth meditating on:

Proverbs 12:18 – “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 15:4 – “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 18:21 – “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Now – concerning all the nasty things people have said to us over the years? You may even have had a parent who had nothing but bad things to say about you. Then you met the Lord and He began to speak words of life to you. Since The Lord entered your life, no curse or condemnation has been allowed to have “stick-me” power in our lives – unless of course we allowed them to! When people have tried to speak negative things over your life – words that would stop you from fulfilling your destiny – God has covered you like a shield and has protected you like a strong tower. There is nothing holding you back – “if God is for me, then who can be against me!”

Remember, God thinks you are wonderful, gifted and anointed – a person who can do all that the Father has purposed for you! God bless you!.

Questions:

1. Can you think of nasty words that were spoken to you when you were younger? Describe the feelings you had when these things were said. (Remember that you do need to forgive all these people 🙂 )

2. Now, think of someone who said something very uplifting to you or about you – how did that make you feel?

Project – Make a list of people who need kind words from you today