Something so simple

As I was preparing to share something with our school community, I came across this scripture. I’ve heard it many times before, and yet, this time, it really caught my eye and made me stop for a minute.

Proverbs 12:25 and it says.

“Anxiety weighs down the heart,

    but a kind word cheers it up.”

At first glance of this scripture the first word is hard to pass by. Anxiety. Anxiety is something I’m sure we’ve all faced at some point in our life. And during this current time, some of us have probably been feeling more anxiety than we ever have before. But it’s okay. 

Thankfully, the tools that we require to overcome and help each other with anxiety are right here in front of us. 

Did you know… that the average person speaks a minimum of 7000 words a day? So the question that I want to pose to you, is of your 7000 words per day, how often are the words you speak uplifting, encouraging, supportive? And how many of your words are anxiety-filled or leaning towards the negative?

There are many different versions of the Bible, which all read slightly differently. If we were to read this scripture again in the The Passion Translation (TPT), it says this:

“Anxious fear brings depression, but a life-giving word of encouragement can do wonders to restore joy to the heart.” 

I love how this particular translation puts it into relatable, every day terms. Something so simple. If we ourselves know how it feels to be weighed down with anxiety, the least we can do is share uplifting and life-giving words with those around us. Who knows, in the process of restoring joy to their hearts, we may even begin to push the anxiety out of our own hearts. 

I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your heart. And if you feel the anxiety beginning to weigh you down, why not ask God to breathe life-giving words into your life, so that you can feel uplifted enough to begin speaking life to others.

In the coming months, whatever they may hold, let’s make a decision to choose life-giving words, over anxious thoughts. It doesn’t take much to share joy with those around us, and use our 7000 words wisely.