~~Encourage One Another~~

"Then will...the mute tongue shout for joy."
---(Isaiah 35:6)--

~~~~When my mother moved into a nursing home, I said a pleasant, "Hello. How are you today?" to Mom's new roommate Jeanie, but I got no response. I turned my back and moved on to my visit with Mom.

Over lunch Dad told me, "Jeanie had a stroke and can't talk, but she understands clearly enough."

Feeling a bit ashamed of how I had ignored Jeanie, I decided to make a better effort at conversing with her. As I nervously entered the room, my eyes caught three or four small statues of dachshunds on the bed table. "Did you have a dachshund?" I asked.

Jeanie slowly nodded her head.
"Was it this big?" I asked, holding my hands apart.

She shook her head and pushed my hands closer together. "Oh, she was a miniature!" I said.

We went on with our yes/no guessing-game conversation, and I discovered that she had a daughter and several grandchildren.

Before my next visit, I found a small dachshund kitchen magnet to take to Jeanie. When she pulled the little gift out of the bag, a small miracle happened. She opened her mouth and exactly one enthusiastic word came out quite distinctly. "Baby!"

That was all she said, but it was gift enough for both of us. I squeezed her drooping shoulder. "Oh, Jeanie," I said,"how wonderful! I heard you say 'baby loud and clear."

One of the miracles that always sent shock waves of praise and amazement through the crowds that followed Jesus was when He caused the dumb to speak. You, too, can hear a miracle happen if you listen hard enough to the silences beyond the words. ~~

"Lord Jesus, today, help me to offer my own silences wisely to bring out a word from someone who is struggling to be heard. Each and every person is important to You, our Rock and Redeemer."~

--Guideposts/KB
--"No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus"//(lyrics) Steffany Gretzinger<https://youtu.be/YsQgZzQDups>
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