The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry. (Proverbs 25:11, The Message)

I’ve never had a custom-made piece of jewelry but know it would be expensive. However, sometimes a friend said just what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it. What value that word had! God used them to meet my need, and I thanked him, as well as the person.

When I was in bed a lot last year because of illness, I’d tell my daughter about an incremental step of progress I’d made but lament how little it was. She encouraged me to cheer up because no matter how small the step, each one got me closer to more normal living.  “Little steps count,” she’d say and encourage me to keep my eyes on my progress already made. I needed to hear those words repeated each time we talked.

Sometimes God enables me to give someone else a good word to cheer them or to help see what his will might be. In the large assisted living facility where I live, I see many of the residents from a distance but don’t know them. Today I saw one of those people: a lady in a wheelchair who looked beautiful in the pink outfit she wore. I told her how pretty she looked, and she held my hand to thank me.  It certainly helps me when someone does the same. Since many are in wheelchairs and I can get up and down fairly easily, if I see someone drop something, I’ll offer to pick it up for them.

I’ve had times when I didn’t feel well, but someone smiled at me. That cheered me on and put a smile on my face. Often that’s as good as a kind word. Since I must now use a walker, how much easier it is to get through doors when someone kindly opens them for me. That also makes me smile as I thank them.

We all need encouragement and wisdom from time to time. Someone might have been in a hard place, and we’ve been there previously, so we can show them what helped us cope with that situation. When I’m talking with someone and realize they’re in a serious mood and about to ask my opinion or a question, I start praying under my breath, asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom. I want to give the right words to my friend and depend on God to give them to me.

God uses each of us to encourage others, and we can all do that with a kindly gesture or the right word. As we start our day, let’s ask God for wisdom for ourselves and for that person we’ll meet through the day who needs to hear a good word from us. Simple gestures and the right words count. How can we make someone else’s day easier? How much can we encourage others with the right word they need to hear?