It had been a long hard week. Not only was I exhausted but I was discouraged as well. My husband seemed to sense my mood. "Why don't we just stop by a restaurant for something to eat on our way home?" he asked as we got into the car after church. His suggestion was truly an answer to my prayer. What a blessing.

But the Lord was taking me to a restaurant for more than a meal. There was someone waiting there for me who was going to shine into my life bringing a transforming word that would put joy back into my heart. His chosen messenger was a little girl about six years old who was sitting at the next table, a most unlikely angel in disguise.

The tables were fairly close together and at first I thought it was my imagination, but it soon became apparent that the little girl was staring directly at me. In fact, her eyes had been upon me from the minute we had followed the hostess across the room to be seated. While I was reading the menu, I noticed that the little girl was whispering to her mother and then pointing directly at me. I couldn't make out what was being said, but it was obvious that I was the object of the conversation. Fighting self-consciousness, I kept my eyes on the menu, trying to ignore all the attention that I seemed to be attracting.

A short time later as the family at the adjacent table finally stood up to leave, the little girl suddenly came running over to where I was seated. Looking down at my feet, she exclaimed, "Those are the most beautiful shoes that I have ever seen in my whole life. They must be the most beautiful shoes in the whole world. I just love them!"

Her words had an amazing effect on me. I felt like Dorothy skipping down the yellow brick road with the ruby slippers upon her feet. "Well, thank you very much," I responded. "They're brand new shoes. In fact this is the first time I'm wearing them. I'm so glad that you like them."

With a smile and a wave of her hand, she was gone. But she had left something wonderful behind. I was no longer feeling tired and discouraged. I was a woman who was wearing the most beautiful shoes in the world. The words of this child had revived me and given me a different perspective of myself. I glanced down at my feet. She was right. They were beautiful shoes and I felt beautiful wearing them. And at the close of our meal, when I stood up to leave the restaurant, my step was light. I was once more walking with joy in my heart. An encourager had encouraged me. A little child had shown me the beauty in little things that we often don't even notice.

Perhaps this may sound silly, but from that time on whenever I put those shoes upon my feet, I felt good. I felt confident. After all, I was wearing the most beautiful shoes in the world. They were no longer just plain, ordinary black high-heeled shoes with little bows attached. They were special shoes that made me feel special.

This happened many years ago and ultimately the shoes wore out and went the way of all old shoes. But the memory of the little girl who made me feel special will always remain. I learned an important lesson that day in the restaurant. I learned the value of encouragement.

How many lives would be transformed if there were more encouragers in the world? We need to begin to speak words of blessing, words that build up instead of tear down. The ministry of encouragement is a dynamic ministry. Don't ever underestimate the power of an encouraging word.

by Jean Coleman
Author of "Chapter 29 Revisited"
www.facebook.com/chapter29