Goodbyes

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29b (NLT)

Yesterday brought a nice surprise. I was included in George’s retirement telecom, and I got to hear his co-workers share their memories of George and how he had impacted their lives over the years.

You know, I was struck by how similar it was to what happens when someone dies. Yes, I’m sure Daddy’s recent death has made it easier for me to see this, but really!

People do the same when someone dies. Except they’re telling the loved ones all those things instead of the person who touched them.

So, I’m thinking about goodbyes and wondering why it is we wait to tell the people in our lives the different ways they touch us. Is it because we don’t stop to think about it until they’re leaving or gone?

Do we not even notice the gift of their lives until they’re no longer a part of our life?

So today, I’m wondering who it is I’m neglecting to appreciate? Who in my life is a blessing I’m not noticing? Who do I need to give my thanks for their influence in my life? And how can I tell them today?

And what about tomorrow and the next day and the next? I want to practice saying these types of words right in the middle of living life. I want to notice the gift of blessing people are in my life and I want to practice telling them. Who knows how this may encourage them?

LORD, thank You for the people who surround me each day. Help me see them and apprecite them. Help me speak words that bless them as they bless me. Allow me to be an encouragement with my words.

And LORD, for those reading this today, thank You for each of them. Thank You for the people You’ve given them. Help them see the blessing of people in their lives and tell those people right in the middle of the living.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.