Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21
I love getting cards whether they are birthday cards or "no occasion cards". They are just
words…written words. But the joy, laughter, thoughtfulness, and sometimes tears they bring are precious.
Words…how would we communicate without them? Whether the form is verbal, written, Braille, sign language, the point of reference is always a WORD and the meaning and/or expression that word brings to our minds and emotions.
I grew up with a clear understanding of the power of words….although at the time I didn't fully understand how the impact of those words would shape my life.
We lived in what was considered the "other side of the tracks"…had an outhouse until I was in 7th grade; my dad never graduated from High School and always had 2 jobs to provide for a family of 5 children.
We grew up not having a lot although as kids we didn't know that…UNTIL I started school.
I remember one girl in particular that made fun of my clothes---isn't it interesting how we usually always remember the negative?
By the time I entered High School, I was so shy that if a teacher called on me I had to fight back tears…would rather have crawled in a hole than answer a question---even if I knew the answer. I was so afraid of making a mistake and being laughed at.
Around my senior year, I was befriended by a girl that through her acceptance and fun spirit, taught me the value of being ALLOWED to make a mistake—and be able to laugh about it! This was huge!
I realized the ability to be able to accept that I wasn't perfect, NOR EXPECTED TO BE, would also allow me to then view, accept and realize others were not perfect either.
This didn't happen overnight, but it was a step in releasing the power of certain words others had spoken to me.
WORDS. They have the power to make or break someone; have the power to create or destroy a person's character.
Adolf Hitler spoke words that divided a world…words that terrorized and nearly obliterated a people.
Abraham Lincoln spoke words that brought hope to a people and ultimately prevented a territorially divided nation.
Advertisers use words and phrases that appeal to our "need" syndrome.
We all grew up with sayings like:
"Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you!"
"If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all."
- Well, if sticks and stones hurt but words don't then why does it feel like a bolder has just run over us when certain words or phrases are spoken to us?
- And why don't we keep our mouths shut if what we are about to say isn't nice…and if we are honest with ourselves, why does it "feel" good to go ahead and say something (at times knowing or not knowing) how it will hurt the person we are speaking to?
I would venture to say every one of us has been on the receiving end of hurtful—crushing words at least once in our lives. And unfortunately may have at one point been the one hurling hateful words—possibly out of revenge or our own hurt.
The spoken word is POWERFUL. Of all the created beings as humans, we were given the privilege and wonderful gift of WORDS no matter the form.
The words we speak should bring hope, encouragement, safety; healing of broken hearts, helping to release unhealthy holds in our lives.
When encouraging words are spoken to a sick person, their spirits are lifted as if given a dose of medicine.
As wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, we have the amazing opportunity:
to speak hope and future into our children…
to speak and bring or begin healing in our families…
to bring or initiate change to environments in our neighbors or coworkers…
to bring about change in our marriages…and not through nagging. (my husband once told me that guilt does not motivate him to do anything…better believe I let go of that avenue!!)
Listen to what the book of James in the Bible tells us:
3:3-10 A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!
5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it.
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer.
TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR SOME SUGGESTIONS………..
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