"Well, we know we have three things in common: Duke, Jesus, and cookies… Not in that order, of course."

I initially laughed when a friend of mine said that to me the other day as we finished a really awesome conversation. The truth behind that statement was slightly ironic considering how much God used the words spoken prior to that to hit my heart. Throughout this week I've really been thinking about this with Jesus a lot, and I've come to a conclusion: Sometimes, that's all we need. We don't have to be BEST friends in order for God to use us to pour into one another.  

God doesn't have to wait until you know every little detail about a person before He uses them to speak life over you, or to reaffirm you in the moments you are fearful (or vice versa). If He did have to wait, I'm pretty sure no life would ever be spoken and many people would be stuck in moments of fear—because I've never met a person who has laid out EVERY little piece of their story for someone else to know. And let's be real--we don't even need the Duke and the cookies for life to be spoken and re-affirmation to be given.  We just need the Jesus. He's the one who breathes life and truth into us to speak over others. He’s the one that brings us closer together—Duke and cookies are just a bonus.

God uses us when we don't even realize it. We don't always realize that the person sitting across the table from us is ______________ (fill in the blank…exhausted, struggling to say 'yes' to the thing God is calling them to, unable to overcome feelings of defeat by themselves, needing someone to whisper truth over them). God still wants to use us to minister to each other.

So, next time you sit across the table from that person you barely know, don't be afraid to offer that word of encouragement and don’t be afraid to share with them what God put on your heart. It's meant for their ears to hear—they need it. Speaking from experience, I'm thankful for the friend I barely know who chose to sit across the table to me and share what was on their heart. They had no idea that what they spoke was exactly what was floating around in my brain at the time, and that the Lord would use their words in such a significant way. If they hadn’t shared what the Lord placed on their heart, I'm fairly confident I wouldn’t be in the spot I'm in today.

So, let's realize just how much power our words hold, and use them to keep furthering the Kingdom. <3   

With love,

Ash