The tongue has the power of life and death.

—Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)

Down beneath the piled-up mess
Behind the brush heap, low,
Lies the broken good —
Hidden, yet wanting to grow.

Uncover the good,
Infuse that ground with hope.
Water it well —
And watch what sprouts up whole.

The tongue has the power of life in it, but it also has the power of death. I’d like to see and encourage the good in others — for my words to be life-giving. I get to choose whether to focus on the negative, or camp on the positive. I want to be an encourager of what’s good in others. For my words to build them up, not down. To help grow the good.

Lord, open my eyes to see the good in others. Help me to uncover the good from behind the brush heap, that they can see it, too. Give me the words to encourage what’s good. Change me, I pray, into an encourager. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.