by Max LucadoYou and I have the privilege to do for
others what God does for us. How do we show people that we believe
in them?
Show up. Nothing takes the place of your presence.
Letters are nice. Phone calls are special, but being there in the
flesh sends a message.
Do you believe in your kids? Then show up. Show up at their
games. Show up at their plays. Show up at their recitals. It may not
be possible to make each one, but it's sure worth the effort. Do you
believe in your friends? Then show up. Show up at their graduations
and weddings. Spend time with them. You want to bring out the best
in someone? Then show up.
Listen up. You don't have to speak to encourage. The
Bible says, "It is best to listen much, speak little" (James 1:19
TLB). We tend to speak much and listen little. There is a time to
speak. But there is also a time to be quiet. That's what my father
did. Dropping a fly ball may not be a big deal to most people, but
if you are thirteen years old and have aspirations of the big
leagues, it is a big deal. Not only was it my second error of the
game, it allowed the winning run to score.
I didn't even go back to the dugout. I turned around in the
middle of left field and climbed over the fence. I was halfway home
when my dad found me. He didn't say a word. Just pulled over to the
side of the road, leaned across the seat, and opened the passenger
door. We didn't speak. We didn't need to. We both knew the world had
come to an end. When we got home, I went straight to my room, and he
went straight to the kitchen. Presently he appeared in front of me
with cookies and milk. He took a seat on the bed, and we broke bread
together. Somewhere in the dunking of the cookies I began to realize
that life and my father's love would go on. In the economy of male
adolescence, if you love the guy who drops the ball, then you really
love him. My skill as a baseball player didn't improve, but my
confidence in Dad's love did. Dad never said a word. But he did show
up. He did listen up. To bring out the best in others, do the same,
and then, when appropriate:
Speak up. You have the power to change someone's life simply by the words
that you speak. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue"
(Prov. 18:21 NKJV). That's why Paul urges you and me to be careful.
"When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people
need—words that will help others become stronger" (Eph. 4:29).
Earlier
I gave you a test for love. There's also a test for the tongue.
Before you speak, ask: Will what I'm about to say help others become
stronger? You have the ability, with your words, to make a person
stronger. Your words are to their soul what a vitamin is to their
body. If you had food and saw someone starving, would you not share
it? If you had water and saw someone dying of thirst, would you not
give it? Of course you would. Then won't you do the same for their
hearts? Your words are food and water! Do not withhold encouragement
from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down!
Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has
believed in you.
