Sometimes people want to say something to a friend, but chicken out at the last minute because they think it might be silly or embarrassing. Often, they later regret not saying it. What does God think about such situations?

Proverbs 25:11 states: “A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray.” We all know the value of gold and silver, even if we can’t afford them. We also know how sweet to the taste apples are. How valuable and how sweet to our souls would apples of gold be? Certainly they would have great value, especially when served to us on fine silver.

The point of this proverb is that our words, spoken in the right circumstances, are of immeasurable value. We are to speak with purpose to those in whom we’d like to invest. Some of us may have younger teammates who have followed us throughout the season and possibly throughout our entire career. We need to tell them what we want for them; challenge them to excellence; and call them to be athletes of great character. We can build a tradition through speaking carefully chosen words to those who follow us.

We can all think of others in our programs who have been important to us. We need to express our appreciation for them as well. The opportunity will soon be gone. Let’s not miss our chance to serve some golden apples on a beautiful silver platter.