Did you mean . . . THAT?
Traveling can be exciting, fun, exhausting, and confusing all at once. Visiting family is also all of the above. Traveling with pets always adds an additional concern. It was decided to go to the hotel and leave the dogs there in the air conditioning before going to a favorite restaurant for enchilada, chili relleno, and sopapillas.
Not being familiar with the roads of the city, we followed our niece as she led the way to the restaurant. As the "navigator" it was my job to watch the signs and landmarks along the way--so we could find our way back to the hotel. Also, being a country girl, the shops in the city tend to be fascinating. So driving along, the sign that really caught attention was
PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER
AR******* RESALE SHOP
WHAT?
Aware of being in a conservative state, with lots of religious fervor, as well as a tendency to go "over the top" with everything bigger and better, I was puzzled. What are they advertising . . . a place to sell your pregnancy . . . or maybe a surrogate service? Could it be an adoption agency? I was confused. Surely I had misread the sign.
When we went passed the building on our way back, it was too dark to read the sign. Thank God for google. Not expecting to find it, I typed in Pregnancy Resource Center Ar******* and up popped the suggestion exactly as I had seen the sign "Pregnancy Resource Center, A*** Resale Shop." I was stunned.
Going to their website I quickly discovered it was an "alternative to abortion" center that supported itself with a "resale" shop. Not quite what the sign implied. Which left me wondering if they had any idea what others than those "in the know" took away from their sign.
Words can be our best friend or our worst enemy. Words have the ability to bring the highest of highs just as easily as they can destroy us. Is there ever a sweeter sound than a soft, child's voice saying "I love you?" When people know they are about to die, the final words most often whispered are those of love and reassurance.
Sometimes words can be misunderstood or take on a life of their own with implications we don't mean or would have never implied. Words can be twisted. Words can be used to condemn, punish, hurt or embarrass others. Words can be used to inspire, support, excite, and lift up others. Once uttered, words cannot be taken back. So . . . "O be careful little mouth what you say; O be careful little mouth what you say; There's a Father up above; And He's looking down in love; So, be careful little mouth what you say" (Children's Bible Songs).
One who whispered us into being, teach us to value our words, to understand the power of words, to be tender with one another, to heal rather than harm. Forgive us when we our words are not loving. Whisper your words in our hearts so that we may learn to be more like you. So be it. Amen.
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