Adjusting your words can adjust your life Published Feb. 10, 2012 By 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Montanari Chaplain Candidate MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. -- One of the most amazing ways for us to live a positive and fruitful life is to understand the power of our words. Here's a short story that I've heard to explain this truth. A group of frogs was traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs they would never get out. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and simply gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs asked him, "Why did you continue jumping? Didn't you hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. In life, we can often be like the frog who sends a negative message by our words and does not project hope and encouragement. Sometimes these words are words of death as in this simple story. Yet, the deaf frog had a completely different perspective. Although he was deaf, he saw the frogs around the pit as encouragement and because he did not hear the negative words he gave it all he had and got saved. In life, let's seed words of encouragement that build up people and cause us to exceed expectations that we would mount up and be more than we could be. Always remember that our perspective in life can either make us or break us. Words mean something. Positive words bring life while negative words can often bring death. We are called to love one another unconditionally, remember that our love is shown by the words we speak. So think slowly and carefully that none of us slip and fall, but jump to renewed life by the power of our words.