“Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy
for the body." ~ Proverbs 4:32
Naomi’s body language told it all.
While people scurried about the Village mall, her shoulders
slumped forward; a common trait of those depressed as they try and be smaller
and take up less space. Her gait
revealed a lack of energy and enthusiasm.
And her eyes cast a blank, listless stare.
But even though it hurt, she tried her best to smile.
What made matters worse, shoppers scurried about unaware
that she even existed. Her heart ached;
she was invisible to everyone around her.
Nothing seemed to be going right in her life. Sometimes Naomi just wanted to curl up into a
corner somewhere and hide forever. Nothing
could be worse than feeling alone, rejected and unloved. People were simply too busy with their own
lives to bother with her. She needed a
hug, even if were only the fragile beginnings of friendship.
She walked into the aisle that carried her favorite items. Naomi couldn’t find the Peanut Butter Cups
through the tears misting her eyes. What
was the point of living anyway? Who
would care if she suddenly disappeared?
Reaching for a prized chocolate treat,
a stranger approached. He’d noticed her
dejected body language; then said the kindest words she’d heard in a very long
time.
“You have a beautiful smile, you should use it often,” he
said.
“Excuse me?” Naomi asked wiping moisture from her eyes.
“I saw you coming toward me and just wanted to tell you
that,” he said before walking away. It definitely
wasn’t a pickup line; it seemed authentic and sincere.
For Naomi, those simple words made all the difference; as if
invisible holes had poked her skin and all her tension leeched out. She tilted her face toward the brilliant light
shafts breaking through the clouds above and her gloom began lifting.
She beamed! Someone had noticed her. She wasn’t invisible after all. "Perhaps," she wondered, "this
is happiness; what comes when the battle’s over."
The moral is twofold:
1.
Be kind and gentle with your words. Just a simple word of encouragement can impact
someone’s life today.
2.
Body language can tell you a lot about someone’s
emotional state. Learning to recognize
the nonverbal signs can help us extend needed compassion to those who may be
struggling.
Kindness has many synonyms - love, service, charity. But they all imply action; tangible things we
can do every day.
God designed our bodies perfectly for that purpose. Each part has a unique role to help other
parts function better as a whole. We
have two eyes trained to see twice as much, and two ears to hear double the
amount we speak. Therefore, we should
approach others as humble learners earning the privilege to speak.
Dear Lord, teach me to love tenderly and
vulnerably. Help me to not shrink away
from others because of fear, and miss opportunities to extend a loving,
charitable, helping hand when they arise.
Amen
