a lightening word

"Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."

Proverbs 12:25

My dad is a musician who listens to music of every stripe, so I've always had my finger on the pulse of society. Listening to contemporary music will tell you a lot about how people think and feel! When I was a little kid, I didn't understand why the radio expressed so much weariness--hurt--bitterness. I get it now. To live in this world is exhausting. Even those of us who walk with God can be affected.

Sometimes the heart is heavy. That's just the way it is.

But God, in His goodness, has given us many ways to care for each other and lighten the load a little. When another's heart is heavy, we can help! Solomon said it well: "A good word makes the heavy heart glad."

We don't often realize how much power there is in the words we speak. The Apostle Paul did, which may be why he wrote, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Eph. 4:29).

To minister is to serve. When we speak truly good words, we bring grace in our hands and pour it over the heavy-hearted. Through our words, we can wash the world's dirt away. We can heal hurts. We can encourage and shore each other up in faith. We can point others to Jesus.

Spoken with sincerity and truth, good words are power. "I love you." "God loves you." "Just hang on a little longer." "I'm here for you."

If we follow Christ, we hold the evangel--the good news--in our hearts. This same evangel is the best word we can speak to anyone. I love how the Christmas carol "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" puts it:

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

I want to be a woman of the gospel--someone who always has grace and good news in her tongue. The good words of Jesus and of those who follow Him have lightened my own heart and strengthened my faith more times than I can count. By His grace, I'll do the same for others.