The Awesome Impact of our Words

I have been contemplating starting a blog for a few years now and after some prompting from others, it became one of my new goals and challenges for 2011, so here we go...

This morning I was reminded of the incredible power our words have for good.  I was reading a book where the author recalled something one of his elementary teachers had said to him as a child.  My mind began racing back through my own life and I could picture a number of scenes where someone poured courage and confidence into me.  One moment, in particular, stood out.  I was sitting at a local restaurant, The China Gate, back in Lebanon, PA with my varsity baseball coach, George.  I was a senior in high school, still young in my new faith, and I was sharing with him what my next steps were following high school.  In that little restaurant, amidst all the Americanized Chinese decor and the placemat telling me I was born in the year of the duck, I remember him looking at me in the eye and saying, "I believe God has big plans in store for Jon Rauch."  All these years later, I can still feel the sense of confidence and courage that statement poured into me at that time in my life--in fact, I was choked up this morning thinking about it.  George probably didn't realize then (or even, now) the impact that dinner would have on an 18 year old heading out in the world.

You and I probably don't realize the awesome impact our words today might have on a child or adult.  Above is a picture of my precious little Elli--she is a real gem, and I hope she knows how proud I am to be her daddy.  Take time to seek out a kid in your life, put your hands on their shoulders, and let them know you believe in them.  Throw in a little sweet and sour chicken, and you might affect their life forever...