Well-seasoned Words

Well-Seasoned Words

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

It was Silly Day at preschool. My four-year-old was wearing pajamas, one silver shoe and one ladybug shoe, and oversized floral sunglasses that accompanied numerous wild buns in her bright blonde hair.

As we stepped from the cold outside into the warmth of the hallway, I peeled off my daughter’s coat. The mom next to me straightened from where she crouched over her son, removing his coat and hat. But as she stood, I realized her son was wearing regular clothes. For a moment I panicked. Did I get the wrong day? “All ready for Silly Day!” I blurted, trying to cover my discomfort.

The mom next to me looked at her son, then at my daughter. I could see the dawning realization that she’d forgotten to dress her son for the occasion.

Noticing the look of ire the mom was now directing my way, another mom stepped in. “I think it’s all week,” she offered casually, offhand.

“You can do it Thursday or Friday,” the first mom told her son. But as she followed us into the bathroom to supervise her son’s handwashing, I felt the weight of her stare. How had I gone from Awkward Mom to Judgy Mom?

Our natural response to uncomfortable situations is often to simply fill the space with words in an effort to hide our own awkwardness. How many times have I said something foolish to mask the fact that I had no idea what to say? How often have I unintentionally hurt another in order to cover up my own failings? Colossians admonishes us to be gracious and thoughtful in our conversations. Our well-seasoned words can go a long way toward nurturing loving relationships.

As the woman’s son and my daughter headed into the preschool room to hang up backpacks and find their name tags, I offered the other mom a hesitant smile. A small gesture of apology. A silent plea for grace. My feelings of inadequacy should never be a reason to undermine someone else. Instead, those moments should be seen as opportunities for grace—for them and for me.

— Kristin

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Apologize to someone for thoughtless words you’ve spoken to them.