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Words are powerful.
There’s a Proverb that says, “A torn jacket is soon mended, but hard words bruise the heart of a child.” A poem first published in “The Bible Friend” speaks about the great influence that a mother has in the lives of her children:
A Piece of Plastic Clay
I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day,
And as my fingers pressed it still,
It moved and yielded at my will.I came again when days were past;
The bit of clay was hard at last,
The form I gave it still it bore,
But I could change that form no more.I took a piece of living clay,
And gently formed it day by day,
And molded with my power and art
A young child’s soft and yielding heart.I came again when days were gone;
It was a man I looked upon;
That early impress still he wore,
And I could change it never more.(Author Unknown)
This reminds me of the many opportunities we have as mothers to influence our children and the importance of the words we say to them. Listen to what the apostle Paul had to say about the power of words:
2 Corinthians 13:10
This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.
Our words will do one of two things: they will build up, or they will tear down. As mothers, we must remember that every word we say to our children makes an impression on them. As you talk to your children today, ask the Lord to give you His heart and His words. His words are so much better than ours, aren’t they?
I don’t know about you, but it seems like I get a lot of opportunities to apologize to my kids. Every day, in fact! Sometimes, I get the chance several times each day. One time comes to mind immediately. It was a time when I was unkind to my daughter in front of her guests. A few minutes after I lost my cool with her, I went back to my bedroom and sensed the Lord saying, “You better go down and fix that!”
I went downstairs, opened her bedroom door and in front of all her friends I said, “You know sweetheart, I am so sorry that I said that to you. That was wrong. Will you please forgive me?” Kids are so forgiving. She forgave me, also in front of her friends. It turned out that my bad behavior turned into a good lesson for everyone about the power of asking for forgiveness and making things right.
Our children need to hear us say we’re sorry when we blow it. So if you’ve got some mending to do today, go ahead and start mending! Build your child up. Let them see you say you’re sorry. You don’t get this time of parenting back again. Make it count.
