A Word Fitly Spoken - Tricia Crabtree
With a look of disdain in her eyes and exasperation she said, “Leave it! I’ll take care of it.” Back in my Mt. Dew addiction days, I had a habit of stopping at the local convenience store to get a 32oz drink of pop to help me survive the the day. (Don’t judge me - it kept me alive during Bible college!) Each time I went in, there was an employee who never smiled and seemed like she had the biggest chip on her shoulder. She probably kept the Intel chip manufacturing plant in business all on her own.
I decided one day to make it my mission in life to make this woman smile. It didn’t matter what I said, nothing was cracking her hard shell. Needing to work on a late night church project, I stopped in to get the all too familiar 32oz drink. There she was! As I got my drink and turned to get a lid, I accidentally hit the handle and the whole drink came crashing to the floor in a lovely Mt. Dew fountain. I could feel Ms. Grumpy Face’s eyes burning a hole in me. I knew there had to be a yellow bucket with a mop in the back storeroom somewhere. Without asking permission, I walked into the back, cleaned up the big mess, and put the mop back. She stared at me the whole time and with no emotion said, “You’re pretty good with that mop.” I responded, “My Daddy was a preacher so I’ve had lots of practice.” I got my refill and left.
Two days later I walked in and without skipping a beat said, “I just came in here to make your day awesome by spilling another drink everywhere.” She looked at me and started busting up laughing. Cha-ching — she smiled!! After this interaction, she became more open to conversation and I was able to give her a tract and a small book regarding salvation. I pray that the Lord touches her heart at some point.
Proverbs 25:11 says, A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. I can’t say that a Mt. Dew fountain is a word fitly spoken, but it certainly opened the door of opportunity. As we go through our daily lives, how many people do we run into who seemingly have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Many times we have our own burdens which blind us and we don’t “lift up our eyes” to see the need of others. We encounter rude people, impatient people, bitter people, and hurting people who with one word fitly spoken could have their lives changed forever. When we encounter these people, our natural reaction is to return in kind. John 15:11 says, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in
you, and that your joy might be full. We have the answers to life’s problems in us; shouldn’t the world see this joy flowing out of us? Colossians 3:3 says, For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Dead people can’t get offended! If we truly understand this principle then responding with the joy of the Lord becomes easier.
Who needs your joy today? Take it as a challenge while at home, the bank, the post office, or the grocery store to find that one person who needs the love of Jesus. It may not require a Mt. Dew, but one word fitly spoken will make all the difference.