Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips.”
-Ecclesiastes 10:12, NIV
A Gentle Tap
I felt a slight touch on my right shoulder.
As I turned from a conversation I was deeply involved in, she handed me a simple note.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she smiled. “But I wanted to give you this.”
“Thank you,” I said, a little startled. I smiled and watched her walk away.
The warmth of her smile and the genuine love I saw in her eyes melted my heart. Before I could say anything else, she disappeared into the crowd of people leaving the church service.
The Power of a Simple Note
I turned back to the conversation, yet felt an urgency to open the folded paper to see what was inside.
Etched in black ink, it simply said, “Thank you for being you!!”
Two exclamation points. Not one. Two.
“How did she know?” I said to the woman standing with me. “I wrestled all church service with myself. Earlier, during worship, I got very passionate and sang loudly. Lifted my hands as if I could take off into the air. I kept thinking I should calm it down. But, I couldn’t. I was overpowered by the presence of God’s spirit and felt engulfed in it.”
I showed the note to Andrea. She just smiled.
“I’m not sure I know her,” I said. In a big church, where Sunday mornings are often just a passing in the hallway, faces are recognizable, but names can be a bit tougher to learn.
“I want to find her and thank her,” I said. “She just made my day. I’ll try to stop beating myself up for letting my passion get a bit loud.
“Never tone down your passion,” Andrea said. “Never.”
Be True to the God-created You.
Sometimes we let the voices of our past continue to speak into our present.
My voices? Don’t sing so loud. Calm down. Shhhhh! Stop drawing attention to yourself. Save your passion for the privacy of your home. I could go on, but there is no need. They are voices from the past.
Today, what if we say, “Enough,” to those voices. In my case, I’ve learned to be considerate and temperate and aware of the proper time and place for my passionate expression about life and God, but I have also learned that I can’t quench or hide or diminish it, either.
My beautiful new friend’s note agrees.
The Challenge to Speak or Write Healing Words
I can’t think of a better month than NOVEMBER to launch this challenge. Instead of rushing past Thanksgiving, let’s pause and celebrate by expressing our gratitude for the people in our lives. Family. Friends. Church community. Workplace. Schools. Assisted Living Facilities. Hospitals. Grocery stores.
Maybe even people we don’t know.
What might happen if we tap someone on the shoulder, slip a handwritten note of encouragement in their hand or take a moment to speak healing words into their life?
It’s a challenge, so it means we’ll have to be intentional.
It can be as simple as one sentence quickly written on a scrap of paper.
I’d sure love to hear how your challenge is going. Maybe a surprising story happens or an encouraging encounter. We’ll share to inspire one another, not boast or brag about our efforts! That’s not what this is all about. It is about practicing gratitude and speaking healing words. It can often be very personal, so I understand if you don’t want to share, but, just in case you do, add the hashtag, #speakhealingwords, to any/all posts on Facebook or Instagram.
Let’s change our world, one healing word at a time. If you aren’t on social media, no worries. Share your stories right here or send them to me: janell@janellrardon.com. I’ll share them for you on our community Facebook page: Today’s Heartlift with Janell.