One word that supercharged our son's motivation

Proverbs 18:21

With the benefit of hindsight, Isaiah has always been our family’s “Superman,” but it wasn’t until 2019 when the name stuck. He had defied the odds, emerged from a coma, and was relearning how to speak and move again. One of our wonderful Nurse Practitioners began calling him “Superman.” I don’t think she realized that’s what we had called him, but that’s how she greeted him every day. “Hey Superman!”

One night, not long after he’d regained the ability to speak, this was his prayer: “God, thank you for today and for Momma and Daddy. Thank you for letting me play games and do good in therapy. I pray that I will always be well and never be sick again. And, I pray that miss Erin will call me ‘Superman’ every day until I leave the hospital. Amen.”

His prayer was simultaneously adorable and powerful. Words have power in a person’s life. I say quite confidently that the simple act of referring to our boy as “Superman” supercharged the impact of many of the medications and therapies we tried. I am forever thankful for the doctors, nurses, and therapists who spoke life into Isaiah in a way that only they as his medical team could. They’ll never know how much their words meant to our boy (and us)…how much they motivated him…how much they encouraged him.

Who can you speak life into today? Your barista? Your patient? Your friend? Your coworker? Take a cue from Isaiah’s Nurse Practitioner. Use your words to encourage someone today.

Proverbs 18:21