Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)
And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.  (Genesis 1:9)
Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so.  (Genesis 1:11)

A child was having a hard day when his father said, “What’s wrong with you?  Can’t you do anything right?”  And the boy grew up believing he could do nothing right.  He was actually fairly successful, but he never realized his full potential because he believed what he was told.

Another child was having a hard day and her mother sat down with her and said, “It will be okay.  After you relax, you will be able to work things out.”  And the girl grew up believing she could deal with any problem that came her way.  And, because she believed, she loved life.

..Two parables about children that could be true.  In fact, one of them is.  The power of the word is much greater than we usually realize.  Words influenced one child to have a life less than complete.  The other was influenced to have a complete life.  All this because of words.

I have been told that the following occurred in a Disciples church years ago.  A boy had been attending Sunday school and was extremely disruptive in class. One Sunday a few weeks later, the teacher became very frustrated as the boy acted out, and said to him, “Leave this class and never come back.”  And John Dillinger never did come back.  John Dillinger could have turned out to be a scoundrel anyway, but we will never know what a supportive word might have done for his life.

I remember one Sunday after church a young women asked me if she could have a few minutes of my time.   She said, “I wanted you to know that I was here visiting family one year ago.  On the Sunday I visited, you preached about trusting God, believing in yourself, and stepping out in life.  I went home and quit my job.”  For a fleeting moment I didn’t feel so great that someone would quit a paying job because of me.  She went on.  “I quit and started my own business.  It was something I had wanted to do for a number of years, but I never had the courage to do it.  Because of your sermon I had the courage to start my own business and it is doing well.  I want to thank you for helping me realize a life dream.”  All this happened for her because of a spoken word.

Just as God created through words, we create.  The above are all examples of what someone else has done to/for another person, but the person who says the most words to me is myself.  If words create, a vital question for me is this: What am I saying to myself?  “You can’t get anything right!”  “It’s okay, things will work out!”  “Don’t come back!”  “You can do it, so go for it and trust in God’s ways!”

The words I say in self-talk, as well as those to others, need to be affirming. 
 

Dawn Breaker #75: No one talks to me as much as I talk to myself, so I’ll follow the pattern set by God and say good, creative things to myself.  “And it was so.”

"There are a number of guidelines I try to follow in life and ministry. I find that when I follow them, situations sometimes become like the rising of the sun.  There is a luminous glow turning to great light, and occasionally, inspiration.  When I don't follow these adopted guidelines, they sometimes become Don breakers, making life frustrating at best.   I do not suggest you should live by all the principles I choose for my life.  If they are helpful for you, make them your own.  They work for me."
                                                                                                                 Don Shelton