Around the Watercooler

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. – Ephesians 4:29

Everyone has a hub for casual conversation. Whether it is the watercooler, the teachers’ lounge, or the staff break room, there is likely a place where the Monday news can be heard buzzing. You may find a challenge in avoiding the hub of conversation altogether. But you can sound a different voice amid the chatter.

Unwholesome talk covers a lot of ground. You could consider negativity, rumors, gossip, and untruth to be unwholesome. You may think you have that covered, since you do not involve yourself in such destructive communication. But wait. When you read beyond the warning of what not to do, you are presented with a challenge. It is not enough to use self-control only to withhold unsavory conversation. Silence alone is not the self-control needed in the close areas of your life. You fight against a negative with a positive. Engage yourself in the building up of others.

The challenge presented to you here is to encourage others according to their needs. Ignoring others is not an option. You are to help them by encouraging them in the areas that they need it. You are to benefit others with your words. Your voice may be a lone voice in a cloud of conversation. But your words can bring hope and inspiration to others. My wife and I encountered such a person at the last church we attended. He was an older pastor who had long retired and devoted his life to the uplifting of others. He always had something good and encouraging to say to those around him. He never allowed the conversation to focus on himself. In turn, everyone wanted to talk to him and looked forward to his attention.

My challenge for us is to join a conversation we would normally avoid. Infuse positive and encouraging comments in the dialogue. Meet the challenge of meeting the needs of others. Become an encourager and see what a difference positive reinforcement has regarding conversational influence.