Yesterday I was at the store when a mum came in with her small child. The child was crying and screaming—the end of a long day it seemed. The mum was trying her best to finish her shopping and placate her child. As I passed I said to her, “ the hardest job in the world and you are doing great”. Her eyes filled with tears. “That’s the first kind word I’ve heard today. Thank you”
How often do we have the opportunity to say those kind words, but hold them back? Why is it that we can so freely condemn and curse? What if our words of praise and admiration came as frequently as our criticisms?
Think back to a time when a kind word was like a lifeline to you. It’s very likely that the person who said it had no idea of its effect. They just had a generosity of spirit to note something positive in you.
We all have the ability to save a moment, a day, a life. It may be as simple as a kind word.