Three Sieves

With the new school year upon us, I am sure that I will have opportunity to speak to my children about their teachers and friends, both old and new.  In times of transition, discontentment and criticism can easily creep in as we find our way in new settings and new situations.  I hope to help my children (and myself!) keep their words encouraging and hopeful, rather than tearing-down and negative.

In my daily reading the other day, I came across these three sieves, three filters for our words (and even...gasp!...our thoughts).

We can ask ourselves these three questions before we speak:

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Is it necessary?

I don't know about you, but that last one really gets me.  Is it NECESSARY?  I probably say a lot of things that aren't really necessary; they may not serve much of a purpose but to make me feel better.  

While I do plan to share these three sieves with my children, I hope to keep them in mind for myself as I go about my day.

What about you?  Are negative words or gossip a struggle for you?  How can we encourage one another?