Proverbs 12:25  An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

For a season I worked at Wal-Mart in the GardenCenter.  The spring and summer were really busy times and we had thousands of plants for sale. Those plants all needed to be watered each day and it typically took hours to do it.

My job was outside in what was called a corral where bricks, soils, fertilizers and more plants were kept.  I would load the purchased items into a customer’s vehicle.  Needless to say I got a lot of exercise.  Although watering the plants wasn’t my responsibility, there
was something that just had an affect on me that I couldn’t ignore.  Periodically, I would see plants that were in a full wilt because they had been missed in the watering process.

It just bothered me so to see plants dying when all they needed was water.  As much as possible I would water those plants to bring them back to life. My eyes became trained to spot them.  What a blessing to walk by later and see them fully revived and blooming.

Have you noticed that we have people around us that are in various stages of ‘wilting’?  It’s not from lack of water but from anxiety, concerns, family crises and all manner of difficulties.  Maybe it’s just from being buried at work.

A kind, encouraging word can do for them what water will do for a plant.  It can cheer them up; it can revitalize; it can be sunshine on a cloudy day.  We’re not talking about a major conversation, but a simple, sincere word of kindness that will lift someone’s soul.

Take time today to notice those around you.  Remember water isn’t just for wilting plants.  Water keeps healthy plants blooming – it prevents them from wilting. The same is true with people.