I don’t know about you, but lately I am “up to here” with endless accounts of corruption, name-calling and reasons to be fearful.
If I were one of the characters in an old cowboy movie, I might say, “Ah hanker to hear somethin’ good.”
In those movies two sunburned cowhands might be looking up at a fiery sunset. One would spit out the blade of grass between his teeth and say, “Well, sure, Shorty. Reckon Ah ‘kin do that.”
Maybe he’d stretch long and tall, then pick up his guitar and sing a song with a catchy refrain. It might even be the song many of us learned as children. Remember?
“Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play.
“Where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.”
Nobody cared whether that cowboy-turned-philosopher could sing. He had heart. Hearing words like that lifted our hearts and made us thankful to live in such a great Country.
Maybe we should start a movement right where we are
The only qualification for membership is that we focus on what’s right–and talk about it.
Let’s not stop there. Let’s be the ones who speak the good word, whether to our children and grandchildren or to our friends and neighbors.
Most of us can think of a time when we were scraping the bottom of our ability to cope. When someone quietly spoke hope to us. How? Keep it simple, something like, “I know it will work out for you. Remember, I’m praying for you and I’m ready to listen any time.”
People can live a long time on one encouraging remark.
One quality which unites us, rich or poor, young or old
Every one of us, whatever our age, longs to hear words like these:
- “I believe in you.”
- “You’re working hard and that always pays off, even when it takes awhile.”
- “Of course you’ll make it through this. Look at all you have going for you.”
- “I can see you’re learning and growing. That’s the best way to reach your goals.”
- “I know you’ll find a job and who knows? It may be the best job you ever had.”
- “God is faithful and He will carry you through this.”
Who needs words like these?
Truett Cathy, the founder of the Chick-Fil-A restaurant chain, put it this way.
“How do you know if someone needs encouragement? If they’re breathing.”
The great thing about lifting another person’s mood is that it raises our spirits, too. Before long we start getting back what we’ve been giving out. Other people find us easy to be around.
It means we focus on the possible, not the impossible.
More often than seems logical, the difference between who succeeds and who fails is that one believes they will and the other hopes they will.
What made the difference? Someone planted that vision, probably more than once. Then the planter watered it with repetition, love and encouragement.
King Solomon talked about that long ago
He’s the one who wrote these words:
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. –Proverbs 12:25
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. –Proverbs 16:24
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. –Proverbs 25:11
Our heartfelt words can change night into day for someone else. God promises to hear us when we pray for guidance and courage to reach out.
Let’s vow to throw out dark, discouraging words and substitute words that bring sunshine instead of clouds. Let’s resolve to lift hearts instead of feeding the despair all around us. Here’s what we do know for sure:
Even if we can’t change the world, we can affect the climate where we live. After all, we hear every word we say. This means we can give our own hearts a lift, too. Doesn’t that make it worth a try?
Working on it, too,
