It seems no matter how old I am I always remember certain things from my childhood. Most pertain to what my father and mother told me. What I heard a lot was “mind your tongue, young lady!” I admit, I was stubborn and wanted my own way most of the time (well, actually, all of the time). When I would sound off, I was in trouble. I didn’t learn my lesson about controlling my tongue until much later in life. It was after I observed what a powerful weapon the tongue can be. It’s a double-edged sword, capable of tearing a person apart or building a person up.
I’ve had a lot of experience witnessing what happens to someone who is repeatedly told, day after day, that they are stupid, worthless, unworthy, that they should never have been born. You can find examples of this in almost every family. I personally believe this contributes to the breakdown of the family structure. I also believe if you don’t think you’re any good, a person will live up it – being no good.
Now the opposite is certainly true, too. If we are told we are good, kind, sweet, loving, and that there is no limit to our potential, then we want to live as though there is no limit to the good we can do on this earth. One of my favorite pastors of the faith shared a very good example recently. Lee Strobel was an Atheist turned Christian. He readily shares what his relationship was like with his father, who heavily influenced his decision not to believe in God.
