Say It

Taken from the Live Like You Are Dying Daily Readings – Week 2; Day 5

My wife and I were in a meeting with the head of a new tutoring program for our son, along with a supervisor and his tutor who is twentysomething with long black hair and pretty dark eyes.  She has taken up a new job on the side as a clothing sort manager and significantly upgraded her appearance from when our son started the program.  Today, coming straight from work, she was nothing short of stunning.

Our meeting began like a standard business meeting.  We all ignored the elephant in the room, which was this woman’s sheer beauty, until my wife, never at a loss for words, turned  to her and blurted out in the middle of a sentence about something else, “I don’t think I’ve ever told you how absolutely beautiful you are.”  The tutor flushed while the other two women appeared flustered for a moment, and then the meeting continued on as before yet with a sense of genuine value that had trumped lesser thoughts.

As the truth always does, my wife’s acknowledgment cut through whatever inappropriate thoughts or games were going on right then in our minds.  My temptation to see my son’s tutor as anything other than someone beautiful God created, the other two women’s probable jealousy, not to mention my wife’s struggle in that same area, all dissipated into sheer appreciation of the truth.  It was no big deal.  It was just my wife speaking sweeter.

You and I have the power to change someone’s life.  We can acknowledge the beauty that is there or pull out the beauty that is hidden – the beauty of soul and character where only God looks.  “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).  We can find the beauty where there is old age, sadness, deformity, or just plain run of the mill drabness.  We have the power to make someone better with our words or lesser without them.

My wife’s comment was not out of character for her.  She does this all the time.  It is her gift to encourage and life up others and I have noticed that people love to be around her as a result.  She does this unselfishly, and I marvel at how a person’s sense of who they are can blossom around this kind of verbal affirmation.  With so much wearing and tearing down in the world, we could all use more lifting up.

The writer of Hebrews says “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).  We are challenged to encourage “today” because when you think about it, that is really all we have.  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is unknown.

God spoke the world into existence.  That’s how powerful words are.  If the same God is telling you to say something, you’d better say it.  And don’t wait.  You may not get a chance tomorrow.

Reflection Questions:

1.  Think about a time when someone encouraged you by something they said.  How did it make you feel?  Knowing that, seek to encourage someone every day this week.

2.  If someone were to follow you around this week, which would describe you more – critical or complimentary?  Gracious or grumpy?  Building up or tearing down?

3.  Write down what God is telling you to say to someone, and say it.