"You Never Know"

 She cried when he said thank you,

And couldn’t really say,

Why it was it moved her so,

It really made her day.

Just a little compliment,

On what she tried to do,

But it hit her in the heart,

A simple gesture, too.

You never know, you just never know,

What your words of kindness show,

To those whose life is struggling so,

You just never know…

She was trying to be patient,

As the people fumed and fussed,

In that grocery check out line,

The clerk was being cussed,

By a fellow in his sixties,

A bully from way back,

He vented his unhappiness,

With a nasty word attack.

I stood like so often,

Praying my way through,

When I saw this little scene,

And wondered what to do.

And then before you know it,

I took him by the arm,

Squeezed a bit too firmly,

But not enough to harm,

I whispered to the bully,

Best take it down a bit,

I think he got my message,

He got quiet and just quit.

You never know, you just never know,

What your words of firmness show,

To those whose life is troubling so,

You just never know…

I heard her say leave me alone,

But it wasn’t what she meant,

I knew to speak the truth in love,

The words the Spirit lent.

To tell her it was not too late,

To find the life of peace,

And if she’d only trust the Lord,

He’d give her soul release.

You never know, you just never know,

What your words of witness show,

To those whose life discouraged so,

You just never know…

So go and sow a seed today,

Into somebody’s heart,

It’s such a simple thing to do,

But easy if you start.

To see someone who needs a word,

That gives encouragement,

And if you do, you’ll feel it too,

Your words were heaven-sent.

You never know, you just never know,

What your edifying words can show,

To those whose hopes are thin and low,

You just never know…

“The tongue has the power of life and death…” (Proverbs 18:21, NIV)

Never underestimate what your words can do- for better or for worse. We can literally spread death or life by what we say, and like seeds sown, words bring forth future harvest. If we want our marriages to be what God intends, we should carefully choose the words we speak to our spouse. Words can be forgiven but never unspoken. If we want to raise our children right, we should carefully speak words of compassionate wisdom to them so that they always feel their worth in our eyes, while feeling the security of the boundaries we set. What we say to people we meet will be remembered if only because of the way we made them feel by what we said. It’s important. In fact it’s a matter of life or death.

Lord, help us to speak life, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Kirstie Lambert, used by permission. Thanks, KIrstie, and God bless you.