Great Job

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

Colossians 4:6


There is an old saying that goes, “catch them doing it right not just doing it wrong” when it comes to parenting. Just know, what works with kids is also true of adults too! The Bible has much to say about the tongue and the power of our words and their affect on others. Proverbs 18:21 puts it like this, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” The Lord reminded me the other day how just two simple words can impact and make someones day.

My grand daughters Reese and Quinn and I went for a bike ride the other day around the block and Reese wanted to race me home when we got to where she could see the house off in the distance. I let her get ahead of me and was talking to her as she pedaled as fast as she could. I slowly caught up with her and as I pulled up along side her I said very loudly, “Great Job”. At the exact moment I yelled “great job” two middle aged men stood up on the roof of the house we were in front of. The two men were re-roofing the house and when I yelled “great job” they assumed I was yelling at them and they smiled, one of them waved and they both stuck out their chests as a look of joyful pride came over their faces. I just smiled as we went by. It took a moment for me to realize what had just happened and when I did I couldn’t help but laugh.  

As Reese continued to pedal hard she reached the house before I did. She really did do a great job and yet the Lord used that humorous encounter to teach me a very valuable lesson. Everyone needs encouragement (even if we don’t know them personally) and each of us can offer it relatively easy, as easy as two simple words. And who knows. As far as I know those guys approached working on that roof in a whole new light after hearing me yell, “Great Job”. It’s a proven fact, none of us can live beyond the exception of other people. We can raise the bar for one another today by saying it like it could be, not just like it is. I’d like to believe that those two guys working on that roof heard me yell “Great Job” and then went back to work with a little bit more motivation and enthusiasm than they previously had.

Know this today, our words are powerful. We all tend to remember the negative things people say more than the positive. I can prove it. If you heard 99 compliments about yourself today and one negative one, which do you think you would remember most and have a tendency to dwell on? If you said the negative remark you’d be correct as we tend to remember the negative things more than we do the positive.

Say it like it could be today, loved one. Look for and see the good even if it takes longer to find it. Be the breath of fresh air in a smoke filled sky. Be kinder than necessary the old saying goes because everyone is fighting some kind of battle. It’s true. Life is hard, and this year more than others due to the Covid virus. Words are powerful, so powerful in fact that I was reminded this week that two words spoken to my grand daughter yet overheard by others made their day. Talk about the power of words! Use them wisely! You never know who’s day you’ll make!


“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

Ephesians 4:29


I LOVE YOU!