Actions Behind Words

“You’re so special to me.”

“I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Words. They mean something.  But sometimes, the actions behind those words mean more.

We need to be careful with how we toss around words. People might think we actually mean something with them. (And of course, we should.) But oftentimes, people say something and their actions totally discount or discredit what they have said.

If you tell someone that they are special to you, that they are important in your life – you should show them by your actions! Take their feelings into account if you know something you might do or say could hurt them; invest into their lives a little bit, and stand behind them, supporting them when they need it. For if you don’t, in due time they will begin to disbelieve you when you say how much they mean to you. And that in turn, will start to damage the relationship.

Actions are so powerful. Intent doesn’t really stand for anything in life if you don’t carry it out. I “meant” to tell you that ….. I was “going” to do that for you, I “wanted” to tell you --- meaningless. You didn’t prioritize that intent by actually carrying it out – so it really doesn’t stand for much or weigh much in another person’s heart.

We live in a culture that can easily discount actions. Rationalizations, casual attitudes, etc wave away the lack of actions in an attempt to make people feel better about themselves and what they did or did not do. But that doesn’t make it okay.  People have feelings and they need to have genuine friends and family in their lives who do more than say pretty words but who really stand for something and are there when it counts.

Don’t minimize your life to mere words. Your word is important but the importance of it is less if you don’t back it up with actions. Show others by how you live and what you do for them or about them that your word means its weight in gold and that you truly value and prioritize their place in your life.