These are some of the things I wrote down, that I believe are messages God also wants to send to YOU! (These are in my own words, but come from principles found in the scriptures.)
Messages from God:
"I love you."
"You're doing a good job."
"I will help you."
"I want to be with you."
"Represent me well."
"I have work for you to do."
"I have a plan for you."
"I created you. Take care of yourself."
"Satan wants to have you. Don't let him in."
"Having gratitude will make your life joyful."
"Serve my children. They need to know that I love them."
"I have given you spiritual gifts."
"I want to teach you."
"Love me. I have always loved, and will always love, you."
"I have prepared great things for you."
This idea of the kinds of messages God sends us on a regular basis relates well to something else I've been wanting to write about. Ever since my last post called, "My Best Marriage Advice," I've been thinking of one more thing I would add to that list. (But I think it deserves its own post!) That is: Speak to, and about, your spouse with kindness.
Heavenly Father is the ultimate example of speaking with kindness. Maybe you've had similar experiences, but there have been times in my life (even very recently), that I just feel like I'll never be any good. I feel like everything I do is wrong, and that I'm really just not measuring up to all that God intends for me to be. But when I stop focusing on these negative messages, and start tuning in to the messages that God has been trying to send me, I hear things like "It's going to be ok!" "You're doing much better than you think you are." "I love you." "I'll help you." "You aren't alone."
What if we consistently spoke this way to our spouse? And to our children, siblings, parents, friends, and even acquaintances?
Imagine if next time a spouse (or your child/sibling/cousin/relative/friend) made a mistake, instead of making a sarcastic remark, or saying, "You really messed things up." "How many times is this going to happen?" "Haven't you learned?" "Why are you doing this to me?", we simply replied, "I love you, and I'll help you. Things are going to be ok."
That is speaking kindly to others, but speaking kindly about others is also extremely powerful. A religion professor brought to my attention that when Heavenly Father speaks about Jesus in the scriptures, He speaks about him with love and respect. He calls Jesus, His "Beloved" Son, and says that He is well pleased with Jesus. This must have made Jesus feel so validated, appreciated, secure, valued- because the One Person he admired most, his Father, said these things about him.
There have been times I walked into a room and overheard my husband talking about me with someone else. And every time that has happened, he has been saying things like: "Yeah, Erica is really talented!" or "She really has a gift for that!" or "Yeah, I think she's wonderful too."
It makes me feel so secure to know that whether we are together or apart, my husband will be my number one supporter and friend! He will say kind things about me anywhere to anyone. I don't have to be afraid that he will make jokes about me, embarrass me, or talk about my weaknesses to others, even when I'm not there.
My parents have always done similarly for me. I've often overheard them talking to someone else about me, saying they are proud of me, or talking about good things that I've done.
Trust me, there are plenty of not-awesome things I've done, mistakes I've made, ways I've hurt others, sins I have repeatedly fallen into. So these examples have nothing to do with me, but show that my husband and parents understand the power of speaking kindly about others, and their doing so has blessed my life.
It's my belief that words of kindness have the power to change bad days to good days, discouraged hearts to encouraged hearts, and ultimately, ordinary people into extraordinary people. God uses the power of kind words, and these are the kinds of things He does.
