Friday, January 22, 2010

Nine Little Words

Words. Big words. Little words. Fancy words. Easy words. Long words. Silly words. Poetic words. Whispered words. Loving words. His Word.

Words, words, words. They hold immense power. They hurt. They heal. They preach. They guide. They lead. They judge. They soothe. They bring laughter.

They are on pages of loved books, devotionals, journals. They pass the lips of dear friends in delicious conversation. I savor each one.

Friend.

They feel, “I love you mommy.”

They communicate, “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

Mommy.

They bring peace as words pass telephone earpiece, “I’m on my way home.”

They connect and rest, “Come to bed.”

Wife.

His Word. Gospel given. Word encouraging, convicting and wise. Loving, living, breathing, piercing. Alive.

His.

I’m not going to pretend I have great insight on how words are used or even that I am some sort of writer. What I do know is that on one, heavenly ordained day at a women’s retreat, nine little words were placed along my path. I picked them up because they were too good to leave behind.


“How can I ask God to bless you today?”

I remember the first time I heard those words. Oh how they stirred my soul! You mean to tell me that God Himself can pour out a blessing on those He loves by nine simple little words? You mean to tell me that I could ask that question and genuinely take their answer to heart and pray for them? You mean I would not know the impact it made in their life until kingdom come if any at all? I bought it. And to think Shannon Smith [speaker] had never challenged me to do so. She never even offered but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. God would not let me.

And so began my journey, outside of four walls, outside of what I knew to be comfortable, outside of my home, outside of my church, outside of what I knew to be safe. Little did I know how eager I would be to ask and yet afraid at the same time. Little did I know then that it would cause me to face my fears and see how God had been grooming me for these moments when I would ask,

“How can I ask God to bless you today?”

Little did I know I could find such immense pleasure in praying for people I had just met and might never see again. My journey along this path only began in late November 2009 and yet when I write these words just two months later, it feels like I’ve been doing it my whole life.

I can remember the faces and names of those I have asked. I remember their requests with such detail and clarity that I offer them up to God on a regular basis and that has been my true joy.

So along with other wanderings of my day to day life, this blog will be sprinkled with written experiences of those strangers who crossed my path. My hope is that it will lift your spirits or even encourage you to do the same or even pray for those strangers as well.

Join me. Share your stories. Share in the joy.

“How can I ask God to bless you today?”

7 comments:

  1. I cannot find the words to express the beauty you shared. How can I ask God to bless YOU today?

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  2. I'm intrigued and excited! I love everything about it.

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  3. Can't wait to read more......I LOVE IT!!! :)

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  4. Wow...This is the first thing I have read in along time that actually "shook" me. I have been so consumed with "my" problems, "my" hardships, "my" struggles, that the idea of asking someone else what THEY need never entered my mind. Thanks so much for the reminder that its not... all about "me"!

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  5. I'll admit that I was kinda freaked out, borderline pissed off, when you asked the waiter at Ledo's Pizza as he delivered our meal. I should have assumed positive intentions and admired you for doing it.... sorry honey, however, I do admire you now. :-)

    Your Mark

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  6. I'm scared. What if I'm supposed to start asking people this? I think I am. DARNIT.

    Scary. Beautiful.

    Love, G

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  7. I was eating lunch @ a restaurant with a lady who was a special guest at our Women's Retreat last year. Before we prayed for our meal, she asked the waiter, "Is there anything I can pray for you?" And he shared...and we prayed. What a powerful question...one that totally takes the other person off guard, but allows you to share Christ. Love it...love you more.

    French Fry

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Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I look forward to reading your thoughts and sharing this space with you.