Thursday, March 5

Objective truth becomes living truth by the power of ascribing – literally, by writing it out. Remember the old classroom discipline of writing something on the chalkboard one hundred times? “I will not dip Becky’s hair in the inkwell, I will not….” The teacher instinctively understood the power of ascribing; she knew that objective truth becomes living truth through it. What might begin as just a faint idea at the back of our minds can be turned into hard resolve and burning conviction through the power of ascribing. ~Mark Buchanan, “The Four Best Places to Live”

When our kids were young, we each made a construction paper car and intentionally “put gas” in each other’s cars with little notes as a form of encouragement. It’s been years since those cars hung on our wall, and we decided that it was time to revive that family custom. Wowzers, do we need it!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thes. 5:11

Writing down encouraging words for each member of our family serves a dual purpose. 1) That little piece of paper with scribbles of ink builds up the person who reads the note and reminds them that they are noticed and loved. 2) Taking the time to think about the good things solidifies those attributes in our minds as we write.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Eph. 4:29

I live alongside some marvelous people. #meatcheato is kind of like an elite club. Nobody else knows what it’s like to experience the lives we lead. Only a handful of people, those who are a part of our SITAG family, have an inkling because they lead similar lives. With the variety of personalities that live underneath our roof, there is bound to be some friction. With the stress of the extra work and the extreme heat and cross cultural living, we can expect even more friction.

There is power in saying something out loud, in speaking truth to ourselves and to one another. Researchers in the worlds of education and psychology call this “the production effect.” Studies have shown that memory is improved by literally speaking aloud what we’re reading, thinking, and studying. The actual retrieval and recall of both past and new experiences, and the relaying of them to someone else further works to etch our experiences and knowledge into our minds. In short, if you really want to remember something, tell someone else about it. It’s incredible to think that God would design us this way, to further draw us into community to speak truth to one another. ~She Reads Truth, Psalms of Rest: The Lord is Near All Who Call Out to Him

We desperately need to read and “hear” those intentional words. And we need to remind ourselves about the really amazing things God has created inside the people who share space with us. Both sides of the coin direct our attentions back to the Creator and focus our hearts and minds on His loving design.