Funny thing how a little kindness can influence lives far beyond a critical word. I received a note yesterday from a child that totally encouraged my heart. In a broken sentence with broken letters the young man wrote, "Pastor Michael, thank you for teaching us the word of God." Nothing fancy, just a simple note of encouragment with kind words, and I was off to the races being excited about what the Lord has for my life.
Contrast that to another note I received from an anonymous sender (ie. I would suggest never reading a note that someone is too cowardly to sign :-). The note started very curt with the statement, "Obviously you don't know how we do things around here." With whatever intent the writer had, the credibility of their request was shot. I found myself wanting to know who the coward was and why they had to be so rude. I was hoping there was a return address at least! In my flesh I would have liked the opportunity to return their poison to them. But what I realized more than anything was that their note was merely a discouraging shot from the bleachers of a corrupted and wounded heart. And ultimately, I had a choice to make. Would I let the negative words of someone influence my entire day, or would I dismiss the comments and move on with a more contagious attitude of building up those around me? If you know me at all, then you know that I chose the latter!
Words have power. They can ruin a life, or they can build one up! One of my great mentors taught me to live by this phrase, "Be Nice." He was right. Regardless of the conflicts and hard choices you have to make, one thing you can do is to be Nice. Being an encourager is not easy. There is a shortage of it in most of the places we work and spend our time. But it is a choice we can make. By the power of your tongue you can either tear someone down, or you can give them the hope that there are still some kind Christian people in this world today. Who will you bless today with your words?
Oh, and by the way, no need to try and figure out who the anonymous person was, or to worry about how I feel. I'm not. Someone somewhere will one day penetrate their life with kindness! It could be you.
~Michael~
Contrast that to another note I received from an anonymous sender (ie. I would suggest never reading a note that someone is too cowardly to sign :-). The note started very curt with the statement, "Obviously you don't know how we do things around here." With whatever intent the writer had, the credibility of their request was shot. I found myself wanting to know who the coward was and why they had to be so rude. I was hoping there was a return address at least! In my flesh I would have liked the opportunity to return their poison to them. But what I realized more than anything was that their note was merely a discouraging shot from the bleachers of a corrupted and wounded heart. And ultimately, I had a choice to make. Would I let the negative words of someone influence my entire day, or would I dismiss the comments and move on with a more contagious attitude of building up those around me? If you know me at all, then you know that I chose the latter!
Words have power. They can ruin a life, or they can build one up! One of my great mentors taught me to live by this phrase, "Be Nice." He was right. Regardless of the conflicts and hard choices you have to make, one thing you can do is to be Nice. Being an encourager is not easy. There is a shortage of it in most of the places we work and spend our time. But it is a choice we can make. By the power of your tongue you can either tear someone down, or you can give them the hope that there are still some kind Christian people in this world today. Who will you bless today with your words?
Oh, and by the way, no need to try and figure out who the anonymous person was, or to worry about how I feel. I'm not. Someone somewhere will one day penetrate their life with kindness! It could be you.
~Michael~
posted by Calvary Staff at
4:54 AM
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