25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
    but a good word makes him glad. (Proverbs 12:25 ESV)

A good friend who has been looking for a job for some time now, landed one this week. I am so happy for him, as he was one of a number of my friends looking at this time. Times like these can be tough, but my friend clung to his faith to get him through. I have had to do likewise in the past and know the anxiety it can create.

But my friend stayed positive and when he landed this job he was quick to thank me for my support, which I was more than glad to lend. Although, in thinking about this I really did little other than encourage him, keep my eye out for possible roles and offer any connections I might have or find.

This is when we come to realize that often a good word can be more worthwhile than anything else we might do. I have walked through joblessness with a number of friends and as I noted I am doing so now with others. I try to make a point to reach out to these friends pretty regularly, meet with them when I can, encourage, counsel, even drive them to looking at new paths. Through it all I want to make sure they know God has a plan and I am here for them at any moment.

We may not realize just how impactful a good word we share with another can be in the long span of hours, days, weeks and months that trials linger. Even simply a listening ear that is an outlet for another’s angst can be worth much more than we realize.

Each week we should seek to encourage others no matter if they are facing trials or we are simply feel that Spirit based nudge.