"Positive words act as water and sunshine to our souls to help them grow strong."
--Sally Clarkson
uplift
motivate
boost confidence
provide an anchor of hope
carry you through times of doubt
provide:
love
strength
comfort
encouragement
hope
faith
forgiveness
These are ALL of the things that encouraging words can do (and then some). This chapter was a definite reminder that the power of my words is great.
The final "grace" chapter touched on the power of God's forgiveness and how we can pass that on to our kids. I love how Clarkson writes how extending grace and forgiveness to our kids gives them a living example of the forgiveness that God extends to us, but it sets them up for healthy relationship in their future. How important is it to humble ourselves when we've done something wrong in the eyes of our friends and family, too? Our kids definitely need to start this process early in life in order to carry it out in future relationships. Can you imagine a middle school girl who is in a scuffle with a friend, and she recognizes her mistakes and asks for forgiveness? I wonder if that might just pave the way for a life-long friendship and a lot less heartache.
Both of these final "grace" chapters reminded me of some steps in correcting Little Belle's behavior that I don't always do. I don't always reassure her with uplifting and encouraging words. Using this kind of language is definitely easier to do when things are going "well". But, it is so important for me to be very aware of what I say to her at the end of disciplining her. She needs to always leave feeling encouraged and forgiven. The words, "I forgive you, " don't often come out of my mouth when dealing with Little Belle, but they certainly need to.
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