My friend was checking out at the grocery store when she noticed an older woman struggling to use the self-checkout. The woman struggled for a few moments only to be helped by a reluctant employee who was condescending and rolling her eyes.
My friend’s blood started to boil, and she approached the employee to say something snarky about her lousy customer service skills. Instead of being rude, she said, “You know, that wasn’t very nice. You look like you need a hug. Can I give you one?”
Surprisingly, the employee allowed her to give her a hug. When she turned to walk away, the employee ran over and said, “Thank you for the advice and the hug. I really needed that.”
You know our words can either win a friend or make an enemy. Which one do you make?
Proverbs 15:23 says, “Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!”
I don’t know about you, but I can think of many times when I’ve made enemies with my words. But that’s not how I want it to be. I want to win people over with my words. Don’t you?
Here are two things you can do right now to win people with your words:
- Consider what you don’t know. We’ve all encountered rude and grumpy people. But have you ever stopped to think of why they might be that way? Maybe they are going through a life-altering situation and don’t know how to cope. It always helps when we consider what we don’t know. Maybe God has you there just for that reason?
- Choose to build up instead of putting down. Anyone can be good at criticizing and pointing out someone’s faults. That’s easy! A strong person encourages and builds someone up, even when they don’t seem to deserve it.
The truth is we’ve all had those bad days. When that happens, isn’t it wonderful when someone says just the right thing to bring us out of our funk? Yes, it is!
Proverbs 12:18 says, “Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.” Speak words of healing, and you’ll have more friends than enemies every time.
Click here to LISTEN to our latest message: iTunes – Google – Spotify
