Speak Life

Are you a smiler?  My Dad sure is! I actually have no memory of when Dad hasn't welcomed me (or anyone else) into his presence with a welcoming and contagious smile. We read the sweet account of Mary's visit to Elizabeth; and, I wonder how very anxious Mary was to make that trip, how much she needed to get-away from the questions, looks, whispers about her pregnancy. Elizabeth just may have been the retreat, the refuge, the respite this young woman needed. And then we read how Elizabeth welcomed Mary: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord." (Luke 1:42-45). Surely, what a contrast to what Mary had left behind in Nazareth: an unexpected blessing! I wonder how many people who cross our paths on any given day need a smile and a word of encouragement. Proverbs 18:21 says with our tongue we speak life or we speak death! In the madness of these days, let's remember Mary and Elizabeth: someone needs your life-giving words - be the one to speak them. Of course, smile but don't forget to ... speak life.