The funny things we say can sometimes have a profound impact on people’s lives. Have you ever had someone say something to you that later on you thought about and realized that what that person said to you had some truth to it? I have had that happen a couple of times. I have always said that whenever someone who is a fellow Christ follower says something to you that you really should listen to what they have to say, because you never know when God may be using them to say something profound in your life.
Many people have told me that they like how I am always talking about how beautiful my wife is and that they think it is great that I honor her that way. I even have the song “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt as my ringtone for whenever she calls me on my mobile phone.
What people don’t know is that the reason why I brag so much about my wife is beyond just my genuine love and affection for her. I do it because when I had my first job as a youth pastor there was a 19 year old guy at the church that said one of those funny things to me that later on really hit me hard. He had said to me that it really didn’t seem like we loved one another. My first reaction was to slap to this young punk and ask him who he thought he was to say that to us. However, I then thought about it and realized that if that is what he was seeing then I was doing something wrong.
Sure I could list the excuses of why. Like how we were still young marrieds, we had just had our second child, were entering into a new ministry and job, and that I was working two jobs as well. The reality is though that I was not honoring or giving my wife the love and attention she deserved, so I made a conscience decision from that moment on that no one would ever be able to say that again. In fact, I wanted to make sure that people knew that I was madly in love with my wife and that she meant the world to me, because she does and I love her a lot.
So even though I was angry at that person for what he said when he first said it, I am now grateful that he did say it. Even if it was quite likely said in youthful ignorance, because it was something I needed to hear and I needed to have that course correction in my life journey. Have you ever had an experience where someone said something to you and it had an impact on your life?
