People type with their hands; and I even type with my mouth through voice activation. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and earlier today, I received an email from my quadriplegic friend, Lynn, who types in a way I never thought was possible -- Lynn types with her eyes. She uses something called “Eye Gaze”; it’s a new software program, it’s on her computer. It’s a program that follows her eye movements, and then translates those movements into letters and words. And Lynn’s message that she wrote to me today with her eyes? I can't imagine how long it took for her to write this with that blinking and looking, but she wrote, “Joni, thank you for taking time to encourage others as you go about your day. You may never know the power of the seeds you plant.” I could not believe this woman was thanking me for encouraging her... I mean, you've gotta know how I felt humbled after I realized Lynn meticulously wrote that with her eyes movements.
Well, that was all the encouragement that I needed. Because Lynn is a good example of that verse in Hebrews where it says, “Encourage one another and build each other up.” And that’s why I shared the story of Lynn with you today. If you are looking for meaning in your daily routine or purpose in your life, you already know it – God's heart desire is laid out for you in that short verse from the book of Hebrews: in short, encourage a fellow believer and build him up in the faith. Ask God to show you today that special person who needs a word of hope. I know I certainly needed to hear a hopeful word, my faith needed strengthening that day that Lynn’s email arrived. And this dear quadriplegic woman may be so paralyzed that she can’t even shrug her shoulders, but I tell you what, she can encourage with her eyes. Not just with the way she smiles with her eyes or looks with her eyes, but the way she types with her eyes!
And you know, you can offer that same kind of encouragement. You may not have a natural gift for words, but you can have a supernatural gift. Listen to what Isaiah 50:4 says, “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” Well there you go, if you weren’t born with the gift of encouragement, God can teach you. And there is no better instructor than the Lord Himself, right?
God, the all-time great Encourager, says He will give you His words to sustain the weary around you. He’ll teach you who to be on the lookout for someone who needs an uplifting word today – maybe a neighbor who got a bad medical report, or a co-worker who didn’t get the promotion. He will give you the word to strengthen the downtrodden. And all He requires is that you listen, like one being taught. Ask the Lord to give you His words and then, today you keep your eyes open through the morning and afternoon --it’s what Lynn, my quadriplegic friend, does. And speaking of His words, you can find plenty of encouraging words to offer through a little book I want to give you today called “God's Word, My Home.” Friend, it is absolutely filled with uplifting passages of Scripture to pass on – and all you need to do is visit me today at joniandfriendsradio.org to request your free copy. And reading through it? I guarantee you’ll find more than enough encouragement from the Word of God to pass on to someone else. Friend, if a quadriplegic can write encouragement with her eyes, what can’t you do with your mouth, with your tongue, with your own thoughts and words today? So please, contact me at joniandfriendsradio.org and right away I’ll send you out “God's Word, My Home.” Let the Lord, the all-time great encourager, give you words to sustain those around you today and tonight! Until next time this is Joni on Joni and Friends.
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