Building Others Up

Most of the caves in the interior of the United States are “solution caves:” they are formed by acidic water that dissolves the rock. When the water recedes, the void that is the cave remains. At that point, stalactites and stalagmites begin to form. Water percolating down from the surface leaves deposits of minerals behind. The formations grow slowly, one drop of water at a time: the stalactites form from the ceiling downward while the stalagmites form from the floor upward.

A cruel person is like the acidic water that creates the cave. They seem to know that one snub, one insult, one cruel observation passed off as “just a joke!” is not enough to hollow out another person’s soul: it takes a constant stream of insults, a “continual dripping,” such as the writer of Proverbs describes (Prov. 19:13 and 27:25). A cruel person can be extremely persistent in slowly wearing away the heart of another.

In contrast, a kind person builds others up. While one small kindness, one encouraging word may not appear to accomplish much, a steady trickle of kindness can begin to repair a wounded soul. Perhaps today you can smile at that beleaguered parent in the store, make room for another driver in traffic, say something nice to another person. Wherever you go, leave something good behind.

Bear in mind, though: not every drop of water that seeps through the ceiling of a cave helps to form a stalactite or stalagmite: only when the water seeps through in a single place, over a long period of time, do these structures form. Each drop leaves just a little bit of calcium behind, above and below. The stalactite grows longer. The stalagmite grows taller.

Eventually, the two will come together, forming a solid column of stone. Where there was nothing but an empty space, now there is a supporting structure.

What are you doing for the people around you? Are you hollowing them out, or are you building them up? Let your kind word today and your good deed tomorrow leave a lasting residue of grace that will begin to build a column in the empty space of someone else’s wounded heart.