God's BIG power in a small gesture

God uses hand-written notes of encouragement in powerful ways. Notes and cards written to me over the years for various reasons have had lifechanging impact on me. I still remember a note my fourth grade teacher sent my parents praising me for the help I gave her by reading with a peer in the classroom who needed some extra practice reading. I kept that note for years. When our first child was stillborn twelve years ago, the notes and letters I received from family and friends (and even strangers)..especially those who had gone through similar loss...were used by God in powerful ways to help in the healing process. Tonight, I was reminded again of how God can work through a simple note of encouragement.

The picture in this post is of a boy named Aaron whom I met six weeks ago, just seconds after he landed wrong on a bike trick and broke his ankle badly. I stayed with him as he waited in agony for the ambulance, and I sent him a card with a note shortly after his accident. He came to the park tonight for the first time since the accident. I saw this teen's foot in a cast, looked up, and said, "Aaron?! I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Laura, and I was with you at your accident." He responded, "I keep your card on my dresser."

Upon being at the park for the past several Wednesdays, I often took pictures, and for our last night tonight, I made cards for each of the kids by taping each child's photo to cardstock and writing them a short letter to wish them well in school and remind them of who they are to God. As the kids scrambled to see their photos and carry them off to home tonight, I was so deeply reminded of how each one of us needs this very basic and very critical affirmation of our worth to God and value because we were created by Him in love.

Sometimes I brush off or procrastinate whispers from God to sit down and jot out a note to someone. And it only takes like 5 minutes to do so! After being reminded tonight of God's big work through such a small gesture, I certainly don't want to ignore those promptings in the future. Have you ever received a small note that had BIG impact?