(part 4 of 14 of the “Honor Dare“)
Dare: Speak well of your parents to others
Verse: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Cor 13:6-7)
We’re told that our tonges (and the words they speak) are the hardest part of the body to tame. I’ve known this to be true in my life many, many times. In this and a couple of other areas, I’ve known Paul’s feelings to be true when he speaks in Romans 7, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…” In our words this seems to be a hard thing to control. I want to be more encouraging to others, I want speak more truth, I want to lie less… I want to speak well of others rather then talk about their weaknesses behind their back!
The really interesting thing is this. The more we speak well of others (both when they’re around and when they’re not) – the more we realize that they’re actually really great people! Even when we don’t say a thing to them directly (although this will be a natrual outflow once you start to get in the habit of speaking well of them) – you’re attitude and interaction will improve. That’s almost like doing no work at all. You simply choose to speak well of your mom and dad when others are complaining about theirs – and a side benefit is that you start to get along with your mom and dad better… and you didn’t even try to do that!
Surprise yourself – find one nice thing to share about your parents with someone else. See how it changes your attitude towards them.