"It worked, it worked! It really worked!"
"What worked, honey?" I asked.
"Mommy, I speaked (yes, speaked... not a typo) that I would get a red skittle, and when I pulled one out, it was a red skittle!!!!", Isabella exclaimed.
From an early age we taught Isabella the power of her words. Replace "I can't" with "How can I". Or focus and talk about where we are going in life, and what our goals are, instead of focusing and talking about past failures. We taught them that God spoke our world into existence... Literally. "Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness....God spoke: "Light!" And light appeared." Genesis 1 (MSG). And as we are created in God's image, we also have great power through the words that we speak.
The other day Cooper was shooting baskets, and I shouted out "you can!" And before I could finish my sentence he finished it for me..."do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Okay. So it didn't sound as smooth as that, but it's what he was trying to say. Fact is, I speak specific scripture over my kids all the time, and try to teach them the difference between encouraging and uplifting speech versus speech that tears down and destroys. And God blesses me when he affirms to me through these moments that these little ears are truly listening.
And my goal with all of this? The things we say out loud, the things we say to ourselves, and the words spoken over us by those closest to us shape our self-image. I believe my kids hear my voice even when I'm not around. I believe I have that much influence over them. And if I'm not shaping a positive perception of themselves and their future, who will? And if they grasp the power of their speech at an early age, it can only help them as adults.
Love, C.
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