On my way home from a recent trip, I observed a sightless woman who was on the same plane. An airline employee helped her board, and when we landed another person assisted her to baggage claim, making sure she was seated. Just before the attendant walked away, I heard the sightless woman say that her daughter was coming to pick her up. Nearly twenty minutes went by, as we waited for our luggage, and no one had come to pick up the woman, who now was beginning to fidget. I scanned the faces of those in the area, hoping that one of them might be this woman’s daughter, but no one seemed to notice her. “Can I help you?” I asked. “Is there someone I can call?” She smiled up at me and said, “Thank you; I appreciate that.” She gave me her daughter’s phone number, and as I was getting ready to make the call, another woman, whom I’d seen walking around the area, stepped up to me and said, “There’s no need for that, I’m her daughter.” Looking at the blind woman, she said, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Mom; I didn’t recognize you.” The older woman gave a nod. “Yes, it’s been a very long time.”

Relieved that the woman was no longer alone, I said goodbye and joined my family, waiting for me in the car. But as I walked away, I couldn’t stop thinking about the daughter’s words: “It’s been so long. I didn’t recognize you.” I don’t know the reason this mother and daughter had not seen each other for such a long time, but it reminded me of how important it is to keep in touch with our family and friends. Sometimes, due to circumstances, we aren’t able to see our loved ones as often as we like, but we can still keep in touch by other means. I am grateful that I stayed with the blind woman until her daughter arrived, and it did my heart good to see the joy on their faces as they hugged. Is there someone in your life you haven’t seen or talked to in awhile? Is there a way you can reach out to them soon?

Recently someone said something very hurtful to me, and I felt the sting of it for several days. Remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me?” Well, they may not hurt in a physical sense, but unkind words can hurt emotionally. Words, whether spoken in kindness or with malice, can never be taken back. A kind word can heal and bless, but an unkind word causes strife and stress. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Another scripture, found in Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

It’s sometimes hard to know what to say and when to say it, but God will help us use the right words when we speak to others, if we just ask. Have you spoken words of encouragement to someone this week? Has someone said something meaningful or helpful to you? The Lord wants us to speak the truth, while seeking peace through our words

On a recent trip to Ohio, at the hotel where we stayed, the soap dish was place on the right-hand side of the sink. In our bathroom at home, it’s on the left side. I could have moved the hotel’s soap dish to the left side, but there wasn’t much room for it there, so I left it on the right side. After a few days, I got used to where it was, and didn’t think much about it until we returned home. The first time I went to use the soap, I reached to the right and quickly discovered that the soap wasn’t there–it was on the left, just as it had always been. What had happened was that in the two weeks I was gone, I had developed a habit of reaching to the right for the soap and would need to readjust my thinking.

Habits occur when we do things over and over, but when we stop doing them, even for a short time, the habit is broken. There are good habits, like brushing our teeth or washing our hands. Also going to church, reading the Bible, and praying are good habits. However, in order to maintain those habits, we need to continually do them. If we stop doing a good habit for any length of time, it soon is no longer a habit.

Some people also develop what most would consider bad habits, like smoking, biting one’s fingernails, or using foul language. Some habits, while not actually bad, can be annoying: tapping one’s foot, whistling, or popping your fingers. There are, of course, many other good, bad, and annoying habits I haven’t mentioned.

The thing about habits is that they can either improve one’s life or make it more difficult. The habit of going to church, reading the Bible, and praying, are all things every Christian needs to do. However, when those habits are broken, then our spiritual life and focus on God becomes diminished. What habits in your life have made you a better person? Are there some habits you need to break?