The power of words....

A week ago today I was on my way home from having spent 6 days in Haiti. It's amazing to me how quickly the days have flown by...not a day has gone by that I haven't looked at my pictures, thought about the precious kids or looked at the Global Orphan Project website trying to get updates & news...a glimpse into what I left behind. (www.theglobalorphanproject.org) Though it has gotten easier to be here. I still feel that I'm not 100% present and for right now.....I think that's ok.

One of the many things I've been thinking about since my return is the power of words. While I was in Haiti our team had what was called a "Bead Ceremony" every evening as a way to help us debrief after a long, fun day of playing! Each color of bead represented a specific trait: Red=Risk, Green=Compassion, Blue=Leadership & White=service. Instead of just mentioning to the group that a certain team member had done a great job in a certain aspect we were encouraged to speak directly to that team member and share what trait we had wittnessed in them that day specifically. I have to admit that the first night I thought, "I don't know these people, how can I possible open up enough to speak directly to them. That in and of itself felt risky." But what I thought initially would be risky ended up making a huge impact on me in so many ways and became a highlight to look forward to at the end of each day. The words that were spoken weren't trite or spoken lightly...instead they came from the heart, meant to encourage and build up NOT tear down.

Which got me thinking...Why is it that I don't make this practice a habit at home? Why did I have to wait until I was in some foreign country with "strangers" to realize the impact words of affirmation spoken into my life made? If it made such a difference in my life then what kind of impact could I have if I turned around and practiced this with the people I'm actually in close relationships with? family, friends, coworkers, etc. I can't say that I've spoken words of affirmation every day to those around me but it is certainly in the forefront of my mind and I find myself becoming more aware of others instead of being so inwardly focused.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you my God."