A Word Fitly Spoken

By Jennifer Byerly

My Dear Ladies,

As I prepare to leave and move to a different place, I thought about what to write for my last letter for Grace and Honor.  In my travels, I focus on praying for the Lord to bring others in my life to encourage.  I realize that I am leaving my friends and my dear church family that I love.   I’ve shared a deep friendship with many of you over the years.  I’ve enjoyed the long talks, the letters of encouragement, and of course, Mrs. Anger’s wonderful cookies.  I value each one of you and I believe that we are designed with special qualities that make us unique and wonderful.  It is these wonderful qualities that cause us to be fitly joined together.  Can I challenge you my dear friends to encourage others?  I am firmly under the impression that God joins the right kind of friends together.  Just as He designed the marriage relationship, He has also designed friends that are fitly spoken.  He puts people together to encourage and edify one another.  He puts us in a church not to be lumps in a pew, but to help guide others and exhort each other.

I have always found it amazing how God can put two strangers together that when they meet they instantly become friends. They act as if they’re known each other all their lives.  “A word fitly spoken is as apples of gold in pictures of silver.”  I want to compare this verse to good friends.  They are joined together and fit each other in such a perfect way.  A good friend is one who speaks good right words and not their own opinion but rather the truth from God’s Word.  A good friend speaks out of love not out of their own gain, and not out of their own feelings.  “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”  ~ Proverbs 27:17.  A fitly spoken friend encourages, edifies and lifts up in a loving way.  A good friend is aware of the other person’s feelings.  They speak the truth gently not critically.  “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.”  ~ Proverbs 27:9.

Dear Sisters, we all have the wonderful opportunity to be pictures of silver and our friends can shine like those golden apples.  But it all starts with being that friend that is fitly spoken.  Can I encourage you to set a goal to pray that God will bring someone into your life that you can make shine like apples of gold?  Ladies, God has made us so special and given us many different and amazing talents.  Let’s go forward and use them for God’s glory.

Ways to encourage:

1. Being friendly is the first step.  A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. ~ Proverbs 18:24
2. Notes with encouragement and encouraging quotes – “He has my heart in His hands; and when I am called to face danger, to pass through scenes of terror and distress, He can inspire me with fortitude and enable me to trust in Him.  Jesus is faithful; His promises are precious.”  ~ Ann Judson
3. Notes with Prayers and Scripture verses – for example:  Dear friend, I pray with all my heart that you will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through his Precious Promises; Colossians 1:9.
4. Write notes from the heart and be real.

My dear friends, in closing this letter can I encourage you to look for one lady that you can reach out to in the next 3 months?  God is so very good to us.  He protects us, He loves us and He guides us.  He has given us wonderful talents, let’s use them for Him.  Remembering that it is “not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;”  Ladies, no mater what our season of life may be, we all can encourage each other.  You all will always be on my heart.