After being sick for three weeks, I finally cracked a book open. It turns out that the very first thing I read, I just have to share! The following excerpt is from The Power of a Positive Mom, by Karol Ladd.
A number of years ago, a junior high teacher from Minnesota wrote a letter to "Dear Abby," telling the story of a remarkable life lesson she learned from her students. She began by describing a difficult day in her math class when the kids were particularly cranky with one another and discouraged about the lesson. Frustrated, the teacher told the class to put away their math books and place one sheet of blank paper on their desks. She then instructed them to list the names of their classmates along the left hand side of the page and to write next to each name the nicest thing they could think of to say about each person. The impromptu exercise helped, because as the students turned in their assignments, the teacher noticed everyone was a little more relaxed and at ease.
Over that weekend, the teacher took the time to write each student's name on a blank page and painstakingly copied the kind thoughts that were expressed about each of the kids. On Monday morning, she handed the students their lists. The room was abuzz with whispers and comments such as "Wow, really?" "I didn't know anyone liked me that much!" "I never knew that meant anything to anyone." Then the assignment was put away, and class continued, with the students feeling better about themselves and one another.
Years later, the math teacher attended the untimely funeral of one of her students who was killed while serving his country in Vietnam. After the service, the parents of this brave young man approached the teacher and said, "We want to show you something Mark was carrying when he was killed." The father pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his wallet, and as he unfolded it, the teacher recognized her handwriting. It was the paper from that long-ago assignment containing all the nice things the young man's classmates had said about him! The parents thanked the teacher, saying that their son had always treasured the encouraging words.
Other former students standing nearby spoke up. One smiled sheepishly, saying he kept his list of compliments in his top desk drawer at home. Another said his sheet had been placed in his wedding album. A third person pulled out his wallet and proudly displayed his folded page as if it were a prized possession. Overwhelmed, the teacher sat down and cried, realizing the full value of that impromptu assignment and the power of encouraging words.
Abby responded to the teacher's letter in her column with a quote from George Herbert: "Good words are worth much and cost little."
There is no greater investment we can make in the lives of our children than giving them generous doses of encouraging words. It costs us so little in time and effort, but the rewards are priceless. When our young people are reminded of their God-given value, they receive deposits of confidence, security, and well-being in their emotional bank accounts. They begin building on their strengths, knowing they have something to contribute to this world. On the other hand, when our children have nothing positive to believe about themselves, their emotional back accounts can become bankrupt-overdrawn by the negative comments and disappointments that occur every day in the world around them.
I too, am a firm believer in encouraging others, especially our children. I hope this excerpt gives you encouragement to encourage your loved ones a lot more than you already do!
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