“I believe you” are extremely powerful words. Sometimes we don’t realize the power until we hear them.

My son was recovering from a concussion when he had an accident with a candle. The accident left a black burn spot on our carpet. My husband and I assumed he was messing around and playing with the candle. We couldn’t recreate his story in any way that made it believable. The look on my son’s face was heartbreaking. He sobbed and begged us to believe him.  Over and over again he declared, “I’m not lying.”

My heart wanted to believe him, but his story escaped logic. Then I looked into his eyes. His pupils were dilated. Then it hit me.  I looked at my husband and shared my theory. Maybe something was going on with his brain where he was lapsing time. Maybe he really gapped out and is missing pieces of time. He was still struggling with symptoms. We even had a therapy appointment scheduled for the next morning. I grabbed him, hugged him and told him I believed him. There was a huge look of relief on his face. It mattered to him to hear me say those words.

The next morning confirmed my “ah ha.” While he was brushing his teeth, he stopped and stared blankly in to the mirror. After watching this for what seemed like an eternity (about 30 seconds), I asked him what he was doing. He gave me an annoyed look and said, “brushing my teeth.” He had just lapsed time and he had no idea time was passing. Thankfully, I was assured that this is a common reaction with a concussion as soon as we arrived at his appointment. An MRI confirmed that this was only due to swelling.

As much as my son needed to hear me say, “I believe you,” it is even truer for victims. Imbedded deep within victims is the fear that we won’t be believed. I struggled with the fear of not being believed when I started telling family and close friends what I was going through. Each time someone believed me there was a sense that I was going to be ok. It gave me strength to take the next steps in healing. It comforted my heart. It encouraged my spirit.

In Luke 4, Jesus meets a woman at the well and tells her all about herself including her many husbands. He knows everything she has done and offers her grace. When a person hears, “I believe you,” they hear “I know all about you and I still love you.”  The person expressing those words becomes God with skin on.

Have you ever needed to hear the words, “I believe you?” Has it left you longing or feeling unsettled? Sometimes we don’t know how much we long to hear the words until someone says them explicitly and the heart overwhelms.

Is there someone in your life that needs to hear those words? What is holding you back? I encourage you to prayerfully consider extending the love and grace that comes with those words to your loved one.

Leave a comment and share your “I believe you” story. It will encourage us all.