Men of Encouragementنموونە

A Friend Who Sees More

I’m sure you’ve heard the children’s rhyme of how sticks and stones break bones, but words don’t hurt.

And I’m sure that as an adult, you know the truth that words do hurt. Sometimes more than broken bones.

One factor in healing from words that hurt is who they come from.

In my younger years, back when I knew everything, I could easily come across to others as sarcastic, mocking, and arrogant.

But thankfully, God put a friend in my life who had the guts to call me out on it.

It hurt, but he changed my life.

In Luke 22:24-34, Jesus is telling the disciples what will happen as He enters the final hours before His crucifixion when Peter boldly states that he would die with Jesus before abandoning Him.

Then Jesus, being the best Friend anyone could have, saw through Peter and called him out.

Talk about words that hurt!

But the beauty of Jesus is that He didn’t leave Peter there.

In John 21:15-25, after His resurrection, Jesus meets His disciples on the shore, has breakfast with them, then pulls Peter aside and speaks words of life into His friend’s heart.

And why did He do this?

Because Jesus is the Friend who sees so much more than we can.

Sometimes, His words are like drops of water in the desert. But sometimes, His words are like ripping a Band-Aid off an infected cut. If you’ve ever had a moment in your journey with Jesus where He speaks to your heart in a way that hurts, please know that it is only because He loves you and sees so much more for you than you ever could.

To be a man of encouragement is to trust the wounds from your greatest Friend because they lead to the deepest healing. Then, like Peter, you can go out and encourage others in the faith.

So be like Jesus. Speak truth into your friends. And when it hurts, don’t leave them there, but also speak life into them. You might just give them the healing they need to be more of who Jesus wants them to be.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for seeing more in me than I do. Thank You that Your words that wound are also words that heal. Help me to hear Your heart for me so that I can be who You want me to be and encourage others around me. Amen.

Reflection: What is something that Jesus has spoken to you that hurt? Talk to Him about it and ask for His healing in it, too.