The Importance of Praising People

I'm seated here thinking about the first day after some weeks when I took my little girl to the saloon to tidy up my hair. I needed to give my hair a lift as it was quite messy. Whenever I return from the hospital I always need a make-over. Seated in a saloon with the baby all wrapped in my hands, a Yoruba woman walked up the stairs and was being shown respect by all the Yoruba women in the saloon. They were all bowing to show their respect as she seated. "Welcome ma" they said, each person taking a turn. My head was thinking; this woman must be something else, the jewelries she wore, the dress, I could not take my eyes off her. There was something that attracted me to her, just maybe, I was wondering what eldely woman could afford to dress this gorgeously and still catch my interest with style and class. Then the hairdresser patted me on the back "that's our pastor's mom oh" Oh I see, came my response. How could it escape my mind where all that holy and physical gorgeousness was coming from. Church money perhaps, and perhaps, prayers? Then the stylist introduced me to pastors' mom. She stood up and walked up to me....asked if she could pray for my little girl. Absolutely, don't recall anyone, but me praying for her since she was born. Little did I know that this prayer was going to be a song of praises. You shall be great, you shall be powerful, you shall know nothing but victory, the world will honour you, you shall be favoured above all else and the words were just springing out of her mouth....and I found myself delighted about the prayer because she was speaking life unto the little girl. I learned from there; to speak good things to the people I come across. This woman did not have to know me, but she had declared goodness upon my child. When she left, other Yoruba women came in to do their hair and spoke the same good wishes to the little girl. Waaaa, I thought. This must be a Yoruba culture of speaking greatness into the lives of people. Recently, I saw a post in which a mother always called her son the greatest Mathematician, the greatest banker.....and today, her son works at one of the top banking firms in the world. I want to encourage each and everyone of us to desist labeling our children with pejorative words. Words don't cost anything and each time you find yourself with the urge to vent out insults, pause, think about the opposite of the word and bless your child. Sometimes, the words we speak into these children influence the way they carry themselves. I'm just saying oh.....