Family
A father took his six-year-old daughter on a "date" to their favorite
Restaurant. During the meal, the dad did most of the talking as he
Told his little girl how wonderful she was, how proud he was to be her
Dad, and how special she was to him and to God. After he had done what
He thought was a sufficient job, he picked up his fork and began to
Eat. His daughter put her hand on his arm and stopped him with these
Words, "Longer, Daddy. Longer!" The father said he didn't eat much
Food that day, but his little girl's hungry heart was certainly fed.
I wonder how many of us miss the hungry hearts
That greet us each morning across the breakfast table, wait for us to
Come home each night, or silently long for us to convince them that
They really are not total failures, unworthy and unwanted, but are, in
Fact, special to us and in the eyes of God. How easy it is to lose
Focus and scramble priorities. We get busy doing good things and miss
One of the highest things God created us to attend to -- family.
One of the greatest gifts we can give our family is the gift of a
Guarded tongue. The Psalmist writes, "Set a guard over my mouth, O
Lord: keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3, NIV). The
Power of the spoken word is great. Words are like seeds. What we plant
Will grow. If we plant negative, destructive, and critical words, we
Will reap a family that is negative, destructive, and critical. Look
For the good in your family -- and then speak it. Be their
Cheerleader! Everyone needs a cheerleader. And the first place we
Should go to find a cheerleader is our family.
CBS released a movie about Karen Carpenter, the talented singer who
Rose to stardom while singing with her brother, Richard. At the young
Age of 32, Karen Carpenter died unexpectedly of heart failure, the
Result of many years of abuse caused by the eating disorder, Anorexia
Nervosa. What amazed and saddened me was the reason for Karen's fatal
Obsession with weight control. It seems that a reporter once called
Her "Richard's chubby sister."
There are days when I desperately want to rip out my unruly
Tongue or reach out and grasp the harsh words I just spoke and stuff
Them back into my mouth. What was I thinking? That's just it. I wasn't
Thinking. We would be wise to ask ourselves these questions before
Speaking:
* T -- Is it true?
* H -- Is it helpful?
* I -- Is it inspiring?
* N -- Is it necessary?
* K -- Is it kind?
