I just spent days organizing something, pouring my life into every little detail. This was an event aligned with what I believe. And, YES! it went well, and I received much positive feedback. This is a win! (I thought) as "I'm walkin on Sunshine" seemed to be playing in the background of my thoughts.Then today I received an e-mail that said, "For what it's worth, my daughter said she liked last year's event better than this year's."
--Record scratch--For what it's worth? Even after all that positive feedback, this negative sentence is what keeps playing over in my head. It felt like a physical kick in the chest. Even as an adult, words can hurt.
Paul says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. . . that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4:29).
I don't think we realize how powerful our words are. How those things said to us at the poles, extremely positive or extremely negative, get played back in our minds over and over.
When people remember my words, I want them to smile.
I will be a positive voice.
that is very much a "rice was too spicy" comment (you'll have to read A Mission in Motherhood by Sally Clarkson sometime). There is no constructive criticism in it, so the author of this email was just saying it to say it. Don't take it to heart, my friend, because some people just like to talk. It would have been more helpful if she'd answered "what about last year's event was better" so you could have USED the comment. So sorry.
ReplyDelete