The Power of Words

Today I was reminded of the power of words, again. We had a boy in church that got into some kind of mood. He ran outside, alone, and went to the playground. Children, for security and liability reasons, aren't supposed to be unsupervised on church grounds. One of the men that was trying to watch over him told our Outpost Senior Commander, Dr. James Dye, and I that the boy wasn't listening to him. So, we decided to retrieve him (using the two person concept...more liability and accountability). We escorted him into the church and tried to get him to go to Sunday School.

For several minutes we tried to talk him out of the corner that he had planted himself into. We each tried to talk to him, one of the ladies (hi, Sandra) tried to talk to him, all to no avail. James asked him if he wanted to stay or go home. As can be expected, he elected to go home. James left us (and about six other people who were just hanging about) to go find the van ministry driver. While he was gone, I attempted to engage him in conversation. I tried to find out if he liked soccer, football, and basketball...he doesn't play any of those games. I asked him if he played video games...no, he doesn't have a game console. No matter what, he seemed bent on keeping his face buried in the corner. I asked him what his age was...seven. Bingo, I hope. I ask him what grade he's in...first or second. He responded with first. I told him that I accepted an invitation to repeat kindergarten when I was younger. I then asked him if he liked school...you betcha! Did he like math? Nope. Did he have a computer lab to play around in? Nope. Dang...this isn't going anywhere fast. I then asked if he brought his lunch with him or if he ate at school. He told me that he ate the school lunch. I asked him, naturally, what his favorite meal was...pizza! Boy, do we have a lot in common! He also liked the smiley french fries. He didn't get to have any fruit cocktail, but he did get fresh fruit. Apples were common, though they cut them up for them. He also gets to eat carrots. I sat with him in front of the water bubbler, cross-legged on the floor, just talking about school (lunches...:)).

After several minutes, James came back with a couple of other men (deacons, I think). They ask him if he is ready to go home. He said that he wants to stay. I ask if he wants to go to Sunday School with me. Wouldn't you know it, he said yes. After we found a couple of seats, Sandra walked up and asked me what I did to get him to come in. I said I just talked to him. She seemed a little incredulous, so she asked again. I said, again, that I just talked to him. She didn't seem convinced, but she did accept it and left to attend to some of the other students. Honestly, Sandra, I only talked to him. I suppose all he needed was the comfort of a friendly person willing to take a minute to ask about what was important to him. Once he opened up and accepted that I wasn't there to punish him, he wanted to do things that made me happy. And, for the rest of the service, he sat next to me with minimal disruption (curiosity did get the better of him a time or two, but that is to be expected).

Lesson learned...words are powerful. The most powerful words, though, are the ones you hear from another person. Certainly, one must never forget that the right words spoken at the right time can have a dramatic impact on someone's life. I am just convinced that the best conversationalists are really the best listeners. Check it out. You just might be shocked at what you find when you listen.

Thanks Paul, Sandra, James, and the deacons. If you hadn't let me talk to George I wouldn't have learned a valuable lesson today. May God be blessed. May the strongholds in George's life be smashed (see, Paul, I was listening!). I will pray for George. Even if I never see him again.