Here in South Carolina we don’t just have a little pollen in the spring, we have clouds of yellow pine pollen filling the air that dusts our cars, rims our ponds with bands of yellow and, if you leave the screen door open covers every horizontal surface in the house. The pollen remains until the blessing of rain cleans the air and washes away the grime in rivers of yellow flowing along drainage ditches. Some years are worse than others and this year has been particularly challenging. Even those fortunate souls not normally prone to problems with pollen have been sneezing, coughing and seeking ways to find relief.
Thank the Lord for the folks who make Halls Triple Soothing Action Mentho-liyptus cough drops. They really do the job, and that is not an advertisement, it is a simple fact. If you, like me, use these wonderful cough suppressant/oral anesthetics during pollen season, you probably have not paid much attention to the wrappers they come in.
I certainly had never given my cough drop wrappers a second thought until the day I was sitting at a red light and reached into my bag for one. I popped the drop into my mouth and was looking for a place to deposit the wrapper when I happened to notice something written in blue ink on the paper. Curious as to what it said, I smoothed out the wrapper with my fingers and was instantly uplifted by what I saw. Written all over that little wrapper were words of healing encouragement.
The light turned green and I was on my way with a smile on my face and the beginnings of this blog percolating in my thoughts. Those little drops of “soothing action” had done a whole lot more than soothe my itchy throat. They had put into action the power of encouragement! And can’t we all use a little of that – especially if we have a cold?
Those simple words of positive encouragement gave me the shot in the arm that I needed and did a whole lot more to help me feel better than any of the commercials I have seen on TV with tissue-laden souls who feel as bad as I do, or worse, and are desperate for help of any sort.
This week, why not take your cue from a cough drop? Unwrap some of your own words of encouragement and share them with others. They have the power to soothe aching hearts and anxious thoughts, help people bounce back from discouragement and are always a refreshment to the tired and weary.
A wordfitly spoken is likeapplesof goldin settings of silver. Proverbs25:11
