“Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.’” Acts 3:6a (NIV)

When we lost my baby sister tragically and unexpectedly, my entire world flipped upside down. It was a very dark season of my life.

What I once knew to be true suddenly became questionable.

Is God good? If so, why this? And if I never know why, how can I ever trust God again?

Hard questions. Honest questions. Questions that haunted me.

Until one day, I got a note from a friend. A girl I not-so-affectionately called my “Bible friend.” She honestly got on my nerves with all her Bible-verse-quoting. I wasn’t on good terms with God at that point in my life — I didn’t even want to believe He existed. And I certainly wasn’t reading the Bible.

I made all of this very known to my Bible friend. But in her gentle, sweet, kind way … she kept slipping me notes of truth with verses gently woven in. And one day, one verse cracked the dam of my soul. Truth slipped in and split open my hardhearted views of life, just enough for God to make Himself known to me.

I held that simple note with one Bible verse scribbled on the front as the tears of honest need streamed down my cheeks. My stiff knees bent. And a whispered, “Yes, God,” changed the course of my life.

My Bible friend had reached me. And because of her, I’m determined to use my words as a gift to others who may be in hard places … like a friend of mine who recently told me she’s struggling with feeling like she has no real purpose.

Everything just feels hard, with very little reprieve.

If ever there were a drowning with no water involved, this is where my friend is. Maybe you have a hurting friend, too.

Desperately wanting to love my friend through my words, I sat down to write her a card and send her a little gift. My heart was full of care, compassion and a strong desire to encourage, but I struggled to translate all I felt on paper.

As I prayed about it, the word “loved” kept coming to mind.

Remind her she is loved. Remind her how much you respect her. Remind her she is a woman who has so much to offer. Remind her she is seen and she is valuable.

In Acts 3, Peter and John encountered a crippled man at the temple gate called Beautiful. They stopped. They noticed. They decided to touch. Riches weren’t available to them but the ability to value was.

As Acts 3:6-7a says, “… ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up …”

Peter and John didn’t have silver, but they had a hand to offer and value to give. The man in need was worth touching. He was a man who needed someone to see him as a man. He had so much to offer. After he got up, he went into the temple courts, praising and stirring up wonder and amazement about God.

I want my friend to remember she, too, has praise left inside her for our God. She, too, can get up. She, too, can stir up amazement and wonder about our God.

Yes, she is loved, and God has a good plan for her. I want to help her see that, just like my Bible friend did for me all those years ago.

I will never doubt the power of one woman reaching into the life of another woman with some written or spoken whispers of love.

Dear Lord, I’m so thankful for the relationships You’ve placed in my life. Would You help me discern what encouraging words my friend needs to hear today? I want to show her Your love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES

Do you ever struggle with knowing how to encourage a friend walking through difficult circumstances? Discover how to help her navigate hard realities with real help from God’s Truth with Lysa TerKeurst’s book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way. You can order your copy here today.

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