Friday, April 20, 2012

Living versus Dead

I recently discovered the writings of Dr. Don Colbert and became a huge fan of his book, Eat This and Live. It has drastically changed my perception of food and will have lasting impact on our family. In his book, he discusses living foods versus dead foods. Living foods obviously nourish our body while dead foods tend to bring harm to our body. I had the thought this week, why not apply this to our words and actions towards others? The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21,"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." So, this week our family has focused on our words and actions and whether they bring life or death to those around us.

This has been a very simple method to teach our children the importance of how they speak and act towards others. The oldest two are only seventeen months apart, so there has been ample opportunity to study this over the week. When one child says something hurtful to the other, we discuss whether or not that statement was living or dead. Once they determine it was a dead statement, we discuss how they can rephrase it to communicate in a loving manner. I have seen great fruit from this during the week. I have listened as my children encourage one another and show love through their actions. They have even begun correcting one another saying, "try to use your living words."

It doesn't stop there though. We as adults can practice this in our relationships with our spouse, children, family and friends. We set the example for our children, so it actually starts with us. I encourage you, as a family, to become aware of your words and actions and the fruit they are bearing. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24

6 comments:

  1. I love this!! We've often discussed whether words were kind {Be kind to one another...} or not, but I love the incorporation of that Proverb into the discussion!

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    1. Thanks Ashley! I love how simple and clear it is. I believe children can really grasp the idea. I will probably relate it to nature in someway such as how we can take action to nourish a plant or action to destroy it. The impact can be long lasting just like our words and actions.

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  2. Well said, Melody! I have learned so much about the thoughts in my head and the usefulness (or destructiveness) of the words that come out of my mouth from listening to Joyce Meyer. Of course, you learn more as you study the matter yourself and apply it to your own life. Thank you for the reminder!

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    1. Yeah too bad we cannot always conquer it once we learn it. I just recently spewed dead words of destruction and oh did it spread like wildfire. I am still learning and applying my friend.

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  3. Another good one when they get a little older is the THINK method. (I use this one myself) Before you open your mouth ask yourself: Is is True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?

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