Never underestimate the power of your words.
With each one that you form,
you are making the choice to


build or destroy
encourage or devastate
heal or wound
love or hate
inspire or discourage
admire or scorn
share hope or cast doubt. 


It is said that it takes ten kindly spoken words to counteract every negative one.
But if you ask me, it takes 100.  Or a 1,000.
Hurtful, hateful words somehow seem to carry so much more weight.  They have the fortuitous ability to stick around.  To fester.  Sadly, they are often the ones that we remember most vividly.


How are you going to wield your power today?

Speak love.
Encourage.

Think.


36 Comments

  1. Love this, such a great reminder. It is so true!

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  2. proverbs 14:1. love. michelle duggar taught me to praise my children 10 times for every correction. SOOOO challenging! but SOOOOOOOOOO important! i want to enlarge that image 2575 bazillion times for my living room.

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  3. love it Julie...I am re-posting this to my FB.....

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  4. love it!

    i heard julie barnhill speak last spring about her son, and how she hoped the words she’d spoken into his life stayed with him through the rough times he was experiencing in boot camp. it really made me think. but of course, i'd since forgotten, so thanks for the reminder :)

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  5. WORD. preach it, girl. so very true. i needed to hear this today. i need to hear this every day. thank you. i also need your chalkboard countdown signs. like yesterday. ok, kidding. but definitely before christmas... ;)

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  6. love that image! the hurt and pain that harsh words carry is heavy. i want to learn to NOT use them, but also to not allow them to drag me down, ya know.

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  7. Seriously, that image is as rad as the message. Almost. For those of us with a lot of words, choosing them carefully is extra hard! So how can I get a copy of that image for a reminder in my house? I'm with Heather on that one. Did you create it?

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  8. beautiful. i found the Daily Audio Bible last january and this message has been abundantly clear the whole year... what. you. say. matters.
    and what YOU say is a big encouragement - thank you! :)

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  9. I grew up in a home where negative words were exchanged a lot and let me tell you that I have suffered with too much low self-esteem. I also learned the habit of doing it but I am trying to be careful now. Thanks so much for this reminder.

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  10. Wow! Thank you!! I am sharing this on my blog if you don't mind.

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  11. julie, love this post! so true, our words have such power. I found your blog today on 30dayshandmade. I read your story and it had me in tears, thank you for sharing. Love your blog!

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  12. Oh, such a good reminder. Can I steal this, too? Did you create it?

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  13. My husband always talks about how your actions are like throwing rocks into a pond....everything ripples out and effects others and others and others....so throw good rocks. Speak kindly. Thanks and best~

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  14. We were JUST talking about this at bible study today. James chapter 4. Awesome.

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  15. Oh sister you are spot on. How many times in the course of a single day do I wish I had a "rewind" button just for my mouth? (and my husband might ask for a "mute" one too). Maybe I should get that typewriter pic tattooed on me. But isn't that one of the kewl things about blogland? That with a little click, we can be given a gentle but needed reminder. Keep reminding. I'll keep clicking. (and I had to delete and repost 'cuz I used the word just a gazillion times...I can't even get my typed words right...somebody swat me).

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  16. please please may I post this on my facebook?

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  17. Thank you so much for this post. I also re-poseted it to my FB. It is such a great reminder (and definitely one that I needed to hear). Thank you again!!

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  18. I just printed that image out as an 8x10 for directly above my computer. If I've stolen it from someone, please tell me who I owe. If it is yours, thank you. And make it BIG. And expect money in the mail.

    Love this post!

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  19. Couldn't have said it better myself, Sister Friend. It's something we all need to be reminded of. It's so easy to be brave sitting behind our computers. But, do you really know what the person on the other end is going through? How will what you say affect them? Let's all just be kind and encouraging and the world would be such a better place. xo

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  20. It's so hard when people suck. Sometimes I envision myself with superballs like Hillary Clinton or Condoleeza Rice and let it roll in one ear and out the other. Easier said than done. But, as for me, I find treating others the way I want to be treated is gold. Happy Day!

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  21. Such truth in the power of words. It's amazing how they can build up and how quickly they destroy and spread like a disease.

    Some great thoughts to think about this week in my relationships with others.

    <3 Nicole
    "Cole"

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  22. Of course you may link this to your blog, fb, etc. Thanks so much for asking!!!!

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  23. I want to use this for a class I am teaching on manners/ettiquite for 12 & 13 year old girls. Can I use the graphic?

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  24. So I read this immediately thinking of someone who has wounded me with words...often. As I contemplated forwarding this I was struck by the idea that maybe, just maybe they were really for me. Maybe I could be a boomerang of words and maybe, just maybe they would boomerang back.

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