Peace and quiet is hard to come by in a house full of rough and tumble boys, so I take the “me time” I do get very seriously.

A few Sundays ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping my coffee and enjoying three blissful minutes of quiet when Jackson came bounding in, asking what he could have for breakfast. Frustrated that my moment of silence had been interrupted, I offhandedly said, “Whatever you can find.”

Famous. Last. Words.

Jackson looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes, promptly grabbed a bag of leftover soccer snack Oreos off the table, and dissolved into a fit of delighted giggles.

“Jackson! No! You can’t have Oreos for breakfast!”

He looked me dead in the eyes and said, “You said ‘whatever you can find.’ You have to be careful with your words, Mom.”

Then he scurried back to the den, no doubt to gloat over his breakfast of champions, never realizing how true his words were.

Because Jackson’s exactly right: we do have to be careful with our words, as they have the power to hurt and to heal. Thankfully, we have the opportunity to use our words for good every single day. Proverbs 16:24 tells us “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

The good news is it takes absolutely no money and not much time to be nice. It could be the friendly greeting offered to the Target cashier, an encouraging text to a friend, a verbal high five for a job well done, or a compliment on a social media post. We never know when our words will be the sweet spot in someone’s day.

One of my oldest friends avoided Oreos in high school because, as she said, “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” I think the same can be said about the power of gracious words–It only takes a moment to offer them, but their impact can last a lifetime.

***Quick Note: This post is part of a two-part series, so be sure to follow me on Instagram @laughsatfunerals so you don’t miss Part 2: Eating My Words.