Speaking Life
“You guys are a cute couple.” It was such a casual remark, but in that unexpected setting, it really had an impact. In our recent Wives Edition podcast episode, I shared about the time our marriage counselor unexpectedly spoke life into my marriage with that one little comment.
We’d just finished a counseling session, and it had been tough. Hearing her say we are a “cute couple,” after she had just heard 45 minutes of our junk somehow bolstered my hope for our marriage to keep growing. It was a little reminder that even though we were working hard to break through some bad communication patterns, there’s still plenty of good stuff too.
Around the same time, a friend confided with a couple of us girl friends how thankful she is to have married couples around her who are pursuing Godly marriages and committed to working through the problems we face along the way. Someone had commented to her that they don’t really have any couples like this in their life, making her aware to not take that for granted. She did exactly what we often say at Awesome Marriage - to say the positive thing you think.
When she shared, it reminded me that our perseverance in marriage doesn’t only impact us, but our friends and community too. How encouraging that our efforts can affect someone else and help them keep going when it gets tough. Our choices always have a greater effect than we can estimate, which is one reason it’s so effective to speak that positive thing when you think of it.
The Scripture says it like this: “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29) and “The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.” (Proverbs 10:32).
Many of us who grew up in church were so focused on avoiding foul language that we missed the good side of those verses! Let’s take hold of a proactive use of words as an encouragement and a help to others. Today, I want to challenge you to seize those helpful words and share them. Don’t neglect the simple gift of speaking life into marriages around you.
Next Steps:
Learn more in the “Speaking Life” Awesome Marriage YouVersion Plan
Text an appreciation or encouragement to a friend who is in it with you
Thank someone whose marriage has been a light or an example to you
Speak something positive you see in a friend’s marriage or personal growth
Notice one thing you appreciate about your spouse and tell them