Speak Life

Words & Photography
by Danielle Murray



It’s so important to speak life into our kids. Even in frustrating moments. Something happened the other day that really shifted the way I think when I talk to my kids.

Tyler is definitely our independent child. She does what she wants, when she wants, and getting her to listen to us can be quite the challenge most days. I found myself telling her often, “You just don’t know how to listen.” In my mind, I was thinking it would somehow help her understand that she needs to stop what she’s doing and start listening to what we’re telling her. So the other day she was being her usual self and doing something we were telling her not to do, and I asked her, “Why won’t you just listen to me?” And with a snarky tone she replied, “I don’t know how to listen.”

BOOM.

That straight up rocked my world right there. She had heard it so much that she had digested it and held onto it and was becoming it; Someone who just doesn’t know how to listen.

That straight up rocked my world right there. She had heard it so much that she had digested it and held onto it and was becoming it; Someone who just doesn’t know how to listen. It was crushing for me and I knew my words were causing harm to her character. She knows how to listen. It just takes a little more effort on her part than some of our other kids.

Because of that incident, when she acts that way now, I tell her that I know she can be obedient. That I know she’s my good listener. It’s starting to help, and with prayer I think it will undo any damage I did with the words I was choosing before.

I just wanted to encourage any parent out there to truly be mindful of what we’re saying. Even when it’s not necessarily mean or hurtful, is it uplifting and encouraging to your child? SPEAK LIFE!