Intentional LivingSample

If you ever want to learn about the heart of a person, just spend a few minutes listening to what they say. Nothing reveals a person’s character like the words they let escape from their mouth.

While all of us have said things we’d love to take back, chances are you’re very careful with what you say—and to whom you say it.

We learn at a young age the power of words, but we learn that lesson selfishly. We spend most of our time thinking about how our words will impact us, especially if they are careless.

But our words have tremendous impact on other people—and not just the negative ones! Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words may be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

If you’ve ever received an unsolicited compliment, or even one that was well-deserved, you know how an uplifting word can stay with you for days.

People who lead intentional lives understand the power of words, and spend a great deal of time thinking about the outcomes of what they say. But not for selfish reasons—people who live intentionally harness the power of words to bring life to other people.

John Maxwell writes, “What kind of words do you use—in your mind as you talk to yourself, out loud as you speak to others, and in your writing? Are they positive and encouraging? Words have power…”

The Apostle Paul offered a similar reminder in the book of Ephesians when he encouraged believers to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up…”

A simple compliment, given with sincerity, can make someone’s day—and it costs us nothing more than a willingness to look for opportunities to be generous with our words.

Living intentionally means seeking out a chance to make someone else’s day with a well-timed word.

The kind that stays with them for all the right reasons.