The Awesome Power of Words

On some playground as I child, I learned to sing the song “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” I guess that was to appease the bullies on the playground as we stuck out our tongues at them, but in reality it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Words do hurt and they can do great harm. Wars have been fought because of words.

There are many people who are struggling in life today not because of physical injuries on a playground but from words spoken out in anger, rage or disgust. Physical injuries through the years have healed fast and words have not healed so fast. For many, negative and destructive words play over and over like a bad movie in the heart and soul.

Words are very powerful. We listen to the words spoken to us and they impact us more than we realize. They move us, inspire us to action, comfort and encourage us, bring healing or they can crush us and devastate us. We are changed either positively or negatively simply because of words. We are even impacted by our own words and tend to follow what we have declared. You have heard people say they are not good enough, smart enough and it seems that their life follows suit. They almost become self-fulfilling prophecies.

I am reminded what the writer of Proverbs says about the power of words:

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:20

“A fool’s mouth is his undoing and his lips are a snare to his soul.” Proverbs 18:7

Be careful of what you say as it just might come to pass. I am not advocating that we never speak what is reality. If we are hurt, angry or depressed, denying it is not going to make it go away. I do think it would serve us well to take inventory of our speech. What would it be like to tape ourselves on any given today? We probably would not be very happy by what we heard. What are we declaring about ourselves on a daily basis? What is our self-talk like?

When we speak, we really are listening to our own words and those words are impacting us either positively or negatively. What would happen if our words started sounding more like God’s words about us? What would happen if were intentional about speaking words that brought life and encouragement to ourselves and others?

Our words are powerful. They are ever changing us and others around us. What kind of life do we really want to live? If our tongues have the power of life and death and you and I are going to eat the fruit of our conversations, I say it’s time to start speaking in the right direction. If we can learn to encourage, build up and not to tear down ourselves or others around us, I believe we will experience powerful changes of good “fruit" in our lives!

Making A Life

Tom Paterson, in his book, “Living The Life You Were Meant To Live,” made a very interesting comment. God isn’t interested in us just making a living as He is in us “making a life.” Well said! I believe a good question we can ask is are we so consumed with making a living that we have forgotten how to make a life!

In this world of “me” focus and striving to get ahead, maybe we need to take a deep breath, step back a little and get a larger perspective on life. At the end of our lives, I don’t think it will really matter how much money you and I made or how successful we were. I think the questions we will be concerned about are did we love our God and others well? Did we make a difference in this world? It is not that success or money are a bad things, but Jesus was so right when he said that life was so much more than the things that we possess. At the end of our lives, I think it will be more important to know we were the kind of people that loved and served others well rather than what kind of car we drove, the house we lived in or how much money we made. Did we love with God’s love and did others see in us who Jesus really is.

The reality is that there are no guarantees about time. Time is precious. It waits for no one and it’s the one thing we can never get back. If we postpone what we really want to do in this life, people we want to touch or influence, or even a trip we want to take that time may never come. People wait for retirement to pursue a dream. Retirement comes and health fails and the dream never happens.

Are you making a living or making a life? Why postpone even simple joys another day? Why not take the time for a long walk and actually smell the roses and enjoy God’s beautiful creation? It won’t cost you a thing and will not only renew your senses but also clear your head. Why not take time to lay hold of courage and forgive or to tell someone that you love them? Maybe its time to be a voice of encouragement to someone who desperately needs a kind word or hug. Take the time to cultivate some new friendships or get together with old friends over coffee, dinner. What about the possibility of extending an act of service or kindness to a complete stranger just because you can.

Are you making a living or making a life? What a perspective! When we begin to be people of life instead of performing in life our lives can be not only meaningful but lived with no regrets!

Finding Favor In Uncommon Places

What do you want in your life? What kind of life would you like to live? I believe the answer lies in a question: What are you and I becoming? There is much written today in the coaching world about the law of attraction. The truth of the matter is that we really are attracting positive and negative things into our life everyday by our conversations, our interactions, even our demeanor. A person that acts and speaks negatively will no doubt repel positive people and most likely will only attract other negative people. The old expression, “misery loves company is really true.”! So how do I get good things to come in my life? In God’s Word, we read about this thing called “favor.” Favor is this undeserved grace or open door that suddenly happens to us when we did very little to make happen. Its kind of like being at the right place at the right time. Its having someone really like you, believe in you and open unexpected opportunities for you. Ever experienced that? That is favor! In Proverbs 3:3-4, we read the key to finding favor.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

Bind them around your neck.

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Then you will find favor and a good name

In the sight of God and man.”

Don’t let love and faithfulness leave you! When you do a word study on love and faithfulness, you find they have similarities. They both have the element of steadfastness. The word for love means steadfast love, mercy, loving-kindness, faithfulness, goodness, devotion. The word for faithfulness means steadfast, endure, faithfulness, to be true, to trust. So in summary, the person who finds favor with God and man is the person who is loving, kind, faithful, merciful, devoted, steadfast and trustworthy. They are faithful. They are no doubt the kind of people that others want to be around because not only are they loving and kind, but they are trustworthy. They mean what they say and say what they mean. Their word is their bond. They can be counted on to fulfill their obligations. A long time ago men and women didn’t have written contracts. Their word was their creed and it was good enough! Want favor to show up in unexpected places and times? Well, I must go back to the original question, What are you becoming? Are you faithful? Do you follow through with commitments? Are you trustworthy? Can you be counted on? Do you deal with people in a loving and kind way? Do people want to be around you?

Gifts and talents are great but, without character to sustain them, they really are a flash in the pan. Steadfast character, love and faithfulness open doors for favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. What could be better than that?