Words Like Honey

One of my favorite passages, albeit very convicting, in the Bible comes from James 3:9-12.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

I've been thinking lately about the words we say, the way we say them and how our words make others feel. What comes out of our mouths has incredible power. We can make someone feel good or we can have the opposite effect. So I was wondering could I, not only avoid harsh words, but use words that could lift another's spirits.

Here's an example: I was actually not really looking forward to finding a dress for Cody and Elizabeth's wedding. My mom and I stopped in a store a while back and I tried some on a couple dresses and my mom summed it up perfectly when she said "These really aren't you are they?" She spoke the truth and said it in a very pleasing way.

Then one day, while at the Surgery Center, I was flipping through a magazine and lo and behold, there it was -- exactly the dress I was looking for. We had the store where I could get this dress right here at Jordan Creek Mall so I went to get it and -- better yet -- it was on sale. On glory! I could get the dress, a darling sweater to go with it and shoes for much less than the original price of the dress. Someone hold me down.

Here's where my word lesson comes in. People ask me about my dress, they ask me what color it is and I never really knew how to describe it. It's basically beige (ugh), but then I would say it has gold threads running through it (true) to make it sound nicer. Last week, I was getting my hair cut and making sure the true color was covered up and the adorable young lady who does my hair asked me about my dress. I started to describe it as beige, again, and she said, oh you mean champagne? I was, like, yesssssss, of course it's not beige, it's champagne. Doesn't that sound so much better?

One of my favorite movies is Pollyanna and Hayley Mills who plays Pollyanna describes everything as "gorgeous." Not just nice or okay, but gorgeous. I tried to say things were gorgeous with a British accent just like Hayley Mills and Carissa told me it wasn't working, but I still like the word.

I know, sometimes we get carried away and we use words like awesome when something isn't that big of a deal, but there are times when maybe a more superlative word could just make somebody's day.

Wouldn't it be great if all of our words fit this description. "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." (Proverbs 16:24). I'm going to try it.

Pray This Never Happens To You

A couple weeks ago, I had a very harrowing and disturbing experience. Even thinking about it now can cause my heart rate to go up and perhaps get my systolic blood pressure over 100. As I walked into my friendly-smile-in-every-aisle West Lakes Hy-Vee grocery store, I realized the entire store had been rearranged. Items that had been on the north end were now on the south end, or maybe it's east and west. I am profoundly directionally challenged so east, west, north, south mean nothing to me. In addition to the north/south, east/west rearrangement, every single item had been moved over an aisle or two. Or three. Either way. I have been shopping in this store since it was built 10 or 12 years ago and in all that time, cheese has always been in aisle 1. What is the thought process when suddenly cheese is in the back of the store with the milk and butter? It confuses me. A shopping trip that should have taken 45 minutes took an hour and a half as I went up and down every aisle at least 6 times. With a death grip on my cart and my eyes darting back and forth at the shelves, I desperately tried to find the things on my list. Cards and magazines are now where health foods used to be. I'm not exactly sure where the health foods are now, but hey, I noticed they didn't move the donuts. Everyone, including the employees, all looked completely bewildered. I needed mapquest to do my grocery shopping. Here's what I learned through all this. The next time you visit to your friendly neighborhood grocery store and look for the Honey Nut Cheerios in aisle 5 and they are there, get down on your knees in thanksgiving. It can all change in an instant. I know. It happened to me.

It's snowing here in central Iowa. In fact, it's been snowing since before noon yesterday. It's not a blizzard, just constant snow. Quite often we have very mild winters, not much snow, not much cold. This winter has been different. We've had cold, we've had snow. I've learned that people in different parts of the country have different views on winter. A couple years ago, Carissa had a volleyball tournament in Minneapolis. We left a winter storm behind in Des Moines to come to bright sunny weather in Minneapolis. As we checked into our hotel, we told the desk clerk what we had left behind and in all sincerity he said, "Oh boy, I'm jealous." My dear friend Brenda has a picture of her and her husband standing in a snowstorm in Bayshore. Bayshore, Wisconsin? In the winter? That is waaaaaay up north where I'm sure winter is a way of life. What fun!! Many people around here like the whole "white Christmas" concept, but when Christmas is over, they are ready for spring. They must have missed that part on the calendar that says the first day of winter is December 21. Maybe it's my Wisconsin upbringing with lots of sleeding and ice skating, but I like this. I like walking around in it, I really like watching it from my window. I like the peace. Spring will come in its time and that, too, will be a joy, but for now let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.