October 29th, 2021
By Tina Yerkes
Our words matter. But how we say them, matters most. The sentence, “You look nice.” can come across in a couple different ways. It can mean “Wow, you look fantastic!” or “Yeah, you look ok.” Our words matter but our tone… well, that is even more important.
One day, Jesus met with a woman as she was getting water from a well. He started up a conversation with her like He knew her. Now, He may have heard the stories told about her. He may have heard the people talking about her to their friends. But His tone, with her, was filled with kindness and compassion. Of all the people in the world who could have condemned or looked down upon her, it was Jesus. The One without any sin, the One who is God, the One who is always on the right side of any issue. But, He chose compassion. Read more about this encounter in John 4: 1-26.
One of the things Eddie talked about this past week was that we are supposed to encourage each other. Genuine care and compassion for each other. Investing in someone else, noticing when something they did or said was special or how they handled a delicate situation. These are the moments that make an impact within our relationships in our homes, in our work or school situations and even, in our church.
Consider your tone. Pause before you comment and if it’s not a comment that will be delivered in love, maybe refrain from saying it. Let’s be that cheering section for each other, even if you don’t see eye to eye on every topic. Jesus chose to be loving rather than being right. And don’t we want to be more like Jesus?
Our words matter. But how we say them, matters most. The sentence, “You look nice.” can come across in a couple different ways. It can mean “Wow, you look fantastic!” or “Yeah, you look ok.” Our words matter but our tone… well, that is even more important.
One day, Jesus met with a woman as she was getting water from a well. He started up a conversation with her like He knew her. Now, He may have heard the stories told about her. He may have heard the people talking about her to their friends. But His tone, with her, was filled with kindness and compassion. Of all the people in the world who could have condemned or looked down upon her, it was Jesus. The One without any sin, the One who is God, the One who is always on the right side of any issue. But, He chose compassion. Read more about this encounter in John 4: 1-26.
One of the things Eddie talked about this past week was that we are supposed to encourage each other. Genuine care and compassion for each other. Investing in someone else, noticing when something they did or said was special or how they handled a delicate situation. These are the moments that make an impact within our relationships in our homes, in our work or school situations and even, in our church.
Consider your tone. Pause before you comment and if it’s not a comment that will be delivered in love, maybe refrain from saying it. Let’s be that cheering section for each other, even if you don’t see eye to eye on every topic. Jesus chose to be loving rather than being right. And don’t we want to be more like Jesus?
No Comments