It has been a bad day! We are moving Peter to a bed and he is not a fan. It takes forever to get him to settle for his nap and he isn’t napping for very long and he is not sleeping through the night either. Last night we were up a few times putting him back into bed. All this disrupted sleep means we are tired and he is exhausted and an exhausted toddler is a grumpy toddler. He has been whiny and crying since 5am – and now he has a fever too. Eventually I took him for a drive and he fell asleep and I managed to transfer him but he didnt sleep for long. Tim has been miserable too; it’s cold and when Peter cries, Tim cries. So not a very happy day.
But I know Colin will come home and he will say three words that will make it better. He won’t say ‘why didn’t you’ or ‘you should have’. He won’t say ‘I would have’ or ‘couldn’t you just’. He won’t even say ‘I think that’ or ‘next time you’. No, he knows that all of those words are well intentioned but not helpful. He knows the three words I need to hear and they aren’t ‘I love you’.
Colin will come home and ask me about my day and then he will say to me ‘you did well today Love.’ You did well. And just like that the day will seem better. Even if I don’t meal plan or get youth prepped. Even if I haven’t cooked supper or tidied the study. Even if I don’t get much done at all, Colin will hug me and tell me the three words I need to hear and my spirits will lift.
Such is the power of words. Words can make our day or break our day. We sometimes speak unthinkingly and in jest but those words are remembered for weeks and months to come. An unkind word does damage beyond what we can comprehend. And to not say anything can be just as hurtful and harmful. However, our words also have capacity for great good – they can lift the mood and be encouraging; they can give a little push to keep going. A word well spoken can have unimaginable benefits.
So let us not be silent today. Let us all take a leaf out of Colin’s book. He doesn’t talk too much, he isn’t the loudest or most communicative. But Colin never wastes his words. He thinks before he speaks and uses his words for good. He does well. We would do well to learn from him.
Amen to that. Well done Cols! You know I shared a similar thing with my moms group this morning. We are never aware entirely of what our ‘chance’ encounters or seemingly random visits or conversations will bring about…so be loving and kind and honest etc…cos let’s be used by God for his purposes to build one another up and be His hands and feet.