A group of frogs were hopping through the forest when two of them accidentally fell into a deep hole. The other frogs, seeing how steep the pit was, said there was no hope — the two were as good as gone. Despite this, the two trapped frogs kept trying to leap out with all their strength. The others above continued to shout, telling them to give up because it was pointless. Eventually, one of the frogs, discouraged by their words, stopped trying and succumbed to his fate.
But the second frog kept jumping with all his might, determined not to give in. The onlookers continued to shout, urging him to end his struggle and die. However, the frog jumped even harder and, to everyone’s amazement, finally leapt out of the pit. The other frogs were shocked and asked, “Didn’t you hear us?”
The frog then explained that he was deaf. He had misunderstood their shouts, thinking they were cheering him on the entire time.
Moral: Words hold the power of life and death. A few encouraging words can uplift someone who is down and give them the strength to persevere. Be mindful of what you say. Speak life to those you meet, because sometimes, we underestimate just how far a kind word can go.