A group of frogs set off on a long hike, traveling through the woods. Two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up, out of the pit, with all their might.
The other frogs kept shouting at them to stop, repeating that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs lost heart and gave into fear. He believed what the other frogs were saying and gave up.
He fell down and died.
The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out!
When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?”
The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
Lessons For the Giver of Words:
- There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
- A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them.
Lessons For the Receiver of Words:
- Be careful what you choose to believe.
- Be mindful of who you choose to follow.
- Whether you hear as well as Superman or as poorly as Beethoven, take heed to what serves you and your purpose. Hear that. Tune out all the rest.
Be careful of what you say. Speak Life to those who cross your path. The power of words… it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way.
Anyone can speak words that rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
I hope you enjoyed today’s Friday-Short. Fables are such great teaching tools. I find their simplicity to be brilliant. I love to read them, to contemplate them, and to share them. Please consider sharing this fable with friends (just as a friend shared it with me — thank you, Susan).
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