Walking with the Wise #133: Helping the Heart

“Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.”

—Proverbs 12:25

Stress. It’s the unseen power that weighs heavily on our life. We go through trials, troubles and tribulations daily. Anxiety is one of the unfortunate byproducts of our modern world that makes us down, discouraged and depressed. We all know the power of a kind or encouraging word. After going through a difficult day and someone tells us that we’ve done a good job, or something about us has impressed them, even though we didn’t know a thing about it, is like instantaneous coming of spring time after a long drawn-out winter. The sunlight of encouragement melts the snow of sadness and suffering that covers our souls. Words such as these we treasure up in our hearts to help us get through the day—like wind in a sail, we are enabled to carry on through the troubles and travails of life.

We all need encouragement and to be encouragers. Not only do we need to hear the positive affirming words of others, but we must be encouragers ourselves. We need to be on the lookout for those who have touched our life, or who have been an example to us and we’ve never taken the time to tell them how appreciative we’ve been. Chances are, a kind and encouraging word, that might take you just a few seconds in brief conversation or a quick jot of a note, may end up being the wind that carries them through several storms of life for years on end. Never underestimate the power of an encouraging word. Let God transform your tongue and your eyes so that you might see someone in need of encouragement and then speak encouraging words to them so that they might continue on in their walk with Christ and that you might experience the joy of being used by the Master’s hand—for His awe-inspiring glory and your incredible, life-transforming joy. Amen.