Family Talk: A Family Devotional on Our WordsSample

Game: 

Get one large, long sock (mom or dad’s work best) for each member of your family (you also could break into teams and only do 2 or 3 socks). Wet, tie and wad up the socks and put them in the freezer. Hand out 1 sock to each family member or team. The person or team to unfreeze and get the sock on wins! (Reminder, socks in microwaves, ovens, stoves, etc. are not safe and should not be attempted).

Message:

We want to be a family that builds each other up and speaks kind words to each other.  When we say good things, it reminds us who we are and who God made us to be.  Sometimes, it is easy to only focus and talk about the things that we don’t like or the things that we want to change about each other.  When we are upset about what another person is doing, it seems obvious to point that out and talk to them about it.  But how often do we say something when we are happy with how we are being spoken to or played with or helped?

It is important to talk about the good things we see in each other. The Bible tells us that these things bring life to us and make us feel good. It also says that saying good things actually brings health and healing to us, and not only to the person who hears them but also to the person who says them. Because of the way that God designed families, we are specially positioned to be able to care for each other.  The good things we say to each other are like vitamins that keep our hearts and minds healthy. Our home and our words can also act like a hospital to care for and heal each other when we are hurt by things that happen or are said outside of our home. We want our family to bring life to each other and to everyone who is with us.

Questions:

What is the last nice thing someone in our family said to you? And how did it make you feel?

What is the last nice thing you said to someone in our family?

If you have siblings, what is something you love about each of them?

Declaration:

Add this declaration to your family prayer now and each night at dinner. “Our family brings health and healing to ourselves and others through our words.”

Verses:

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 11:17 Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.

Proverbs 18:4 A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.