I think I’ve written before about how in the Cambodian
culture it’s not normal for someone’s parents to tell him or her they love
them. In fact they consider it
inappropriate for the word love to be used to describe any relationship besides
a husband and wife. I think I
realized, at least to some degree, how that could have some negative
implications on the people in this nation. But lately I’ve been thinking about the other side of the
coin and I’m just recently realizing how powerful words can be if you DO use
them well.
I left Cambodia for 7 days to go home for my brother’s
wedding (Which was so awesome by the way!
I’m so honored to welcome Ginny into our family! I couldn’t ask for more
in a sister-in-law!). And when I
got back I didn’t expect the kind of reception I received. The Cambodians I work with and have
gotten to know from Café Eden (the café I work at in the mornings) were way too
excited to see me. They talked
about how much they missed me and I heard from one of the girls on my team that
they asked every day when I was getting back.
I was really humbled by this and spent some time thinking
about what I could have done in the 12 short days I was here in Cambodia with
them before the wedding to warrant this kind of greeting. I didn’t crack some
crazy awesome jokes, I didn’t buy them sweet presents, all I really did was ask
them about their lives and encourage them in who I was realizing they were and
in the things I saw them doing well.
It’s amazing what speaking life into people who rarely experience
encouragement can do to knit your hearts together in such a short time.
Proverbs 18:21 says “The tongue has the power of life
and death, and those who love it
will eat its fruit.” It’s so true,
there is so much power in what we say.
While words can be used (or not used) to tear people down they also have
the power to lift people up into the greatness God is calling them too. As I’ve been asking God to give me His
eyes and His heart for people I’m starting to see even more of the greatness in
people than I ever have before.
Speaking life to someone and encouraging them isn’t, and shouldn’t ever
be, fake. Everyone has greatness
in them because they were created in the image of God. As we ask for God’s heart for people He
will reveal it to us and will enable us to speak it out to them.
This interaction with the Cambodian workers at Café Eden has
made me even more aware of how powerful words are. I hope and pray that I can become someone who people love to
be around because they feel known and loved by their heavenly father through
me. Love and missions has never
felt so easy. Giving someone a
straightforward compliment about WHO THEY ARE not something they have done is
so counter cultural for some of us and although it feels awkward it was what we
were made to do. And the fruit of
this kind of living is so much greater than we realize.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” -1 Thessalonians 5:11
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