Surely, a good number of you out there love plants and planting in the garden. Somewhere I heard that it is great to talk to your plants as it helps them grow faster. In researching it, I learned one theory was that the vibrations of the voice helped and that a woman’s voice had a larger range and so helped significantly more. Words, sounds… They not only have an effect on plants but also on people.
There is a song by Toby Mac, a Christian singer, entitled “Speak Life.” Here are just a few of the words: “Speak life in the deepest darkest hours… Speak life… Sometimes the tongue gets twisted… Well it’s crazy to imagine words from my lips as arms of compassion… Speak life.”
I share these words at a time that is very challenging in our world. We are slowly coming out of our sheltering-in-place mode and re-entering the world we thought we knew. On top of that, we have seen some awful displays of violence. Don’t you think that speaking words of kindness and life would help to heal all that is going on? That would mean that we all would have to start to think of the other as well as ourselves. All of us have been challenged in some way during the past few months. How do we find a new, and hopefully better, normal?
I would suggest that speaking words of life would work much better than angry, bitter words. Don’t you think so? This is not an easy task and it will take a lot of practice, but the time to “speak life” is now! When you are having a tough day, isn’t it uplifting to hear someone give a kind remark or smile or just be thoughtful? It can make a day seem so much brighter.
Are you willing and able to “speak life” to those you begin to interact with as you emerge from your shelter? Are you willing to retool your brain to speak words of encouragement and compliment, keeping the criticism to yourself? Are you willing to be sensitive to what others may be going through and “speak life” into their day?
My challenge for you this week is to listen to Toby Mac’s song on YouTube (click here to listen) and really take the words to heart. Speaking words of life at this time and place may be just what the world needs to grow up strong and healthy like the plants we love.
Till next week as we continue to speak life,
Sister Theresita
Photo of the innovative garden our sisters in Elmhurst, NY planted this spring
