In the course of a day, many words are spoken.
Some are said in love, and some are said out of anger. Some relate to our work, and some represent our feelings. Some roll off the tongue easy, and some have to be wedged out of our lips with the likes of a crowbar. But make no mistake…all of them have impact.
My friend, Kris, reminded me of the importance of words at his very own funeral.
He had struggled for 25 months with cancer. His body ravaged by the cruel disease, he finally went home to rest in the arms of His Savior, leaving behind people who would miss him. As a final, loving tribute at his funeral, Kris shared a homemade video, imploring people to share their heart and say the things they needed to say while they were still able to say them.
As I sat in the wooden church pew and viewed this precious testimony of a man whose spirit was already in another place, I couldn’t help but think about how many times we miss opportunities in life to say things we need to say to people. I find a lot of us speaking our mind on a daily basis, but far fewer of us truly sharing our heart. There is, I’ve found, a vast difference.
Many healing words that could be said are missed, simply because we are too afraid to say them. We fear being misunderstood or made to feel silly. We fear becoming vulnerable or the possibility of giving our power away to someone. Or we fear we won’t be able to handle whatever comes in their wake. Maybe our relationships will change, when we share our heart. Or maybe, even scarier…they won’t.
But as Kris reminded me, there are things important enough to share. Because words spoken that touch a heart or give encouragement to a soul can never be a mistake.
If someone has done enough to make an impression on us, we should let them know.
If someone has loved us through a bad day, we should say thanks.
If someone has stayed around when others have run away, we should tell them we noticed.
And if there comes a day when we share our heart and our words are not well received, we can rest, knowing that we have said what we needed to say…and that is enough.
Resources…
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” {Proverbs 16:24}
Something Else…
Watch the video that Lisa’s friend Kris made and be challenged to {say what you need to say}
Lisa Whittle likes to tell waiters how awesome they are when they do a good job…and she does not hesitate to tell her best friend, Colleen, how much her friendship has changed her life. She asks you to pray for the family her friend, Kris, recently left behind. Drop her a note at info@lisawhittle.com or find her on Facebook.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Lisa!
I love this! I try to make sure I say something nice, encouraging, or uplifting to people around me. Sometimes we get caught up in wanting to say what’s on our minds, but we need to take the time and let someone know what’s in our hearts. I especially need to work on this with my family.
Thanks again for this awesome devotional.
God bless,
Melissa
Hey Lisa,
I enjoyed your post. It’s so true about not speaking up when someone makes an impact on your life, because you think it may sound silly. We always forget that when people do tell us that we impacted them, it makes us feel great. We need to make others feel great too.
P.S. Love your last name
Thank you for this entry. I stumbled onto your blog quite by God’s hand. I was searching for a women’s devotional and saw that your targeted audience is my age. So many times I forget that I am a 20 something because I spend all my time mothering the teenagers that my husband and I have in our youth group. It was nice to hear words that were meant just for me. I think I am going to take special time today to let my husband know what he means to me and my sisters too. Thank you for sharing God’s word!
As a waitress, you should know we really appreciate it when you tell us how awesome we are.
So for all of my fellow underpaid workers, thank you.
It’s more of a testimony when you say something like that than when someone leaves a track or pamphlet for a church.