Encouraging Words
Encouraging Words
A few years ago, I felt compelled to share some of my feelings on Facebook about preparing my kids to go back to school. I had diligently prepared my post to communicate my thoughts concisely and thoughtfully, and one dear friend commented on the post. She wrote a simple phrase that stood out to me and made my heart skip a beat. She wrote, “Meghan, you are gifted with ‘the pen.’”
I remember feeling taken aback by her statement. I never felt like a capable writer and I certainly wouldn’t have considered myself gifted with ‘the pen.’ I read and reread her comment multiple times throughout the day wondering what could have possessed her to tell me something like that. It wasn’t until months later when I had begun writing that I appreciated her comment even more.
People’s words stick with us, and it’s important to choose our words cautiously.. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Kind words are like honey; sweet to the soul and healthy to the body.” My thoughtful friend chose words to encourage me and draw my attention to something she thought I was good at. The idea of choosing words wisely has many layers to it, and showing people the love of Christ with kindly selected words is the most beautiful way we can use our words. Also, as my close friend she had a lot of influence on me, and our special relationship made it such that her comment had a deep impact in my life.
The kind observation my friend made became a building block for my writing dreams. She was also one of the first people to hire me to paint furniture. She communicated her belief in me by giving me a new opportunity to grow my creativity skills. She saw something in myself that I wasn’t seeing yet and helped notice the growth happening in my life.
Now that I’ve taken up ‘the pen’ more frequently, I think about words, word choice, word order, and intent. I want to be someone who empowers and encourages others with my words, and I want to use my words wisely and carefully.
Words are a gift from God, and I want to use them to tell others when I see God working in their life or when His gifts are evident in their life. I understand now that thoughtful and encouraging words can be powerful blessings that change lives. Our words should be like honey, used to sweeten the lives of the people around us.
