Keeping Connected

by Jane Josephs

“Encourage one another daily…” –Heb. 3:13a

Over a year ago, my daughter introduced me to the New York Times game Wordle. The player has six opportunities to guess the word of the day before the puzzle closes. Part of the fun for me (along with finding the word) is sharing my score with my “Wordle Crew”—my daughter and her husband in Chicago, my sister in Cincinnati, and my niece and her friend in Charlotte, North Carolina. Just about every morning I awaken to the sound of text messages going off from the East Coast to the West.

Along with sharing our scores, the Crew sometimes leaves little messages: “Good job,” “Used the dictionary,” “Tough one today,” or when two of us get the same score, we text “Twins!” Those little words of encouragement bring me closer to my family, even if the connection is brief.

Encouragement is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and I can readily see why. We all need a kind word and a pat on the back every now and then, don’t we? In a world where loneliness has reached epidemic proportions, offering a word of encouragement to someone—even to a stranger—is an opportunity to bring God’s love and kindness to someone, and who knows? It might just be exactly what that person needs.

King Solomon wrote, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If they fall down, they can help each other up” (Eccl. 4:9-10). God didn’t create us to go it alone, and a timely word of encouragement to someone is part of a winning formula for a happy, healthy life. Why not try giving out encouraging words today? And if you’ve never ”Wordled,” why not give that a try too?

Dear Lord, open our eyes to those around us who need an encouraging word today, and let us be quick to respond with words that bring life, joy, and peace. In Your name we pray, Amen.