The late Bishop Fulton Sheen once entered a greasy-spoon restaurant for breakfast, and when the waitress, groggy and disinterested, took his order, he replied, "Bring me some ham and eggs and a few kind words."
When she returned fifteen minutes later, she set the food before him and said, "There."
"What about the kind words?"
The server looked him over for a moment, then replied, "I'd advise you not to eat them eggs!"
Are you an encouragement to your brothers and sisters in the Lord? When was the last time you offered an encouraging word to someone?
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29).
For my great-nephew’s last birthday, I gave him a toy space station. He is really into astronauts and dreams of growing up to be an astronaut. My sister told me that after he opened his present, he immediately took it to his room to play with it privately. He wanted to be sure that he didn’t have to share it with anyone else.
An important indication that we have matured is our willingness to share what we have with others. Spiritual gifts, for example, aren’t given to be enjoyed behind locked doors. Whatever your spiritual gift, it was given to you so that you might use it for the good of others. I'm guessing that in time my great-nephew will one day learn that it is even more fun to play "astronauts" with others.
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7).
A businesswoman went into a Thai restaurant to eat lunch. She sat down at one of the tables and ordered one of the specials on the menu and when her food arrived it was accompanied by a bowl of peanuts to sprinkle on the food. As she helped herself and started to eat, she heard a voice say, "What an attractive hairstyle! It's perfect for you."
The woman looked around but couldn't see anyone in the place who could be speaking to her. She shrugged off the strange event and continued eating her lunch. But every time she took a bite she heard a voice praising something else about her—her clothes, her shoes, her handbag.
By the end of the meal she was quite concerned—was she crazy? She called the waiter over and said, "I keep hearing a voice telling me how great I look. Is somebody here playing a joke on me?"
"Not at all," said the waiter. "It's the peanuts—they're complimentary."
Regardless of the source, how great is affirmation! In a world where we face so much negative, we are all in need of affirmation and encouragement.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11).