By JoJo Tabares
I was thinking about our topic for this week. What on earth does rain have to do with communication skills? As it turns out, the Lord showed me that it has quite a lesson for communicators! If you think I’ve finally gone off my nut, you might be right, but before you call the little men in white coats to take me away ha ha hoo hoo hee hee… check this out!
As I thought about how gentle rain sounds when it is lightly falling on my house, a line from a movie came to me. It’s not the most Christian movie and you may not want your children to watch it, but I have to give proper credit to the source. In the movie Jumanji, one player rolls the dice and lands on a square that starts a rain inside the house. The player turns to Robin Williams’ character and says, “A little rain won’t hurt us.” But Robin Williams’ character returns, “Yeah, but a lot can kill ya!”
Think back to how that gentle rain sounds when it turns into a rainstorm. The sound goes from a gentle pitter patter to a strong thunderous angry sound. I’ve been through thunderstorms that sound like a herd of elephants were about to break through my house! This once gentle rain can now destroy, but not necessarily because of the amount of water. The sheer force of pouring rain can erode mountains and large boulders. A gentle rain may be soothing to listen to but a thunderous storm is scary and can damage your roof.
Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Our gentle nature with people when we speak to them can soften a heart and turn away wrath. On the other hand, just like a storm, the power of the spoken word can destroy a spirit and break a heart.
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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer. Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula. You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com. For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication skills for the whole family, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com
