It’s Easy to Destroy
We had some work done on our church building a few months back. On the night before the scaffolding was due to come down, with the work completed, we were targeted by thieves who ripped lead from our clock tower and presumably sold it on as scrap metal. Just this week we’ve had the lead replaced (and the builders have done a great job) at a cost of around £6000. Seems a lot for some lead work right? What shocks me the most is that the guys who stole it probably got less than £100 for it when they weighed it in! So their £100 bounty cost us £6k to replace.
It got me thinking about just how easy it is to destroy things that take a whole lot of time and money to create and build. A reputation built over a lifetime can be destroyed in a moment of recklessness. A harsh word can ruin a relationship that’s taken years to forge. A world inhabited and cared for for thousands (or billions - depending on your theology!) of years can be spoilt by pollution in a century or two of industrial revolution. A fortune saved and invested wisely over a lifetime can be blown in second. A building built by bare hands over many years can be blown up by a single bomb. A body fed, watered and looked after for 60 years can give up in a heartbeat.
It really does only take one word of harsh criticism to destroy someone’s confidence that has been built up by bits of encouragement over years. They (no idea who but they do) say that you need to give people ten words of encouragement to counteract one piece of constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is good, but we’re far too quick to give it without the tenfold words of encouragement.
Who have you encouraged recently?
18 Notes/ Hide
-
calebellwood posted this
