Lately I've been thinking about the ways we bring life and joy to people and our circumstances. I am learning how to speak about people and circumstances and envision the very best. I want to envision the glory of what could be--even if it's not quite there yet.
It's the same with teaching and parenting. I speak into what could be, as I want it to be, as I know it can be. I learned this technique back in my camp counselor days when the wise director trained us to shape a particular reality for our campers. You simply tell nervous or homesick children what's coming and how they will feel. Children, I learned, sometimes don't know how to feel unless we tell them.
It's a strange thing to observe an influential voice tell a child how awful or inconvenient something is, and then see another voice proclaim the beauty and blessing in the very same circumstance. Two children in the same situation will feel differently based on whose voice they allow to shape their reality.
I'm learning that I shape a reality by my words and demeanor for my children, their friends, my students, and my peers. I look out from here and see the glory of God, indescribable hope and joy, freedom, and strength to overcome. I see healing, wonder, rich community, laughter, and blessing.
This is how I'll speak of it. This is how I want it to be. This is actually how it is and will be.
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Have you had a voice reshape a reality for you?
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