GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
MARK 1:11
Offer Someone a Kind Word
When I scored students’ papers, which I did for over forty years, I always tried to temper evaluation with praise: “Your essay makes a good point, but ….” Julie Andrews sang, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” and I tried to apply that metaphor in the pedagogical sphere, even when it was difficult. In a movie, a woman told her friend how difficult it was to find anything good to say about another person, and the friend said, “Compliment her on her shoes”—that is, find at least one thing good to say.
As parents of three sons, we always tried to be affirmative; we wanted them to know we were rooting for them and supporting them. We attended their sports games to cheer for them, their band concerts to be supportive, and their school conferences to track their progress. We looked for ways to build their self-respect and confidence—punishment when necessary, but love always. (We’ll leave it to them to tell whether their mother and I were successful.)
As Jesus came out of the Jordan River, following his baptism, the heavens opened, the Spirit came to him, “And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my son, the beloved; in you I am well pleased,’” according to St. Mark. (1:11) It is likely that Jesus did not know what the next months and years held for him, but he knew that he had the Father’s presence, approval, and empowerment for the path ahead.
My voice will not come from heaven, but today I’ll look for someone to encourage. You?
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