Words Have Power!
Blog – 5-11-16
“For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37
Words have power! If you stop for a minute and think about it, it’s been this way from the dawn of time. The Bible tells us that God spoke the world into being. It doesn’t say he performed an awesome magic trick or started a huge chemical reaction that lead to the formation of the world. It says simply, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.’” Genesis 1:3. God formed the earth, the sky, the water, the animals and us with nothing but His words.
Words always have and always will have tremendous power.
Jesus preached in Matthew about the importance of our words. In Matthew 12:37 he said, “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Words matter.
The thing we forget sometimes is that what we say reveals what is in our hearts. I think that’s what Jesus was getting at in this verse. Our words reveal our hearts, and we can’t solve our heart problem by simply cleaning up our speech. We have to clean up our hearts first, and then our speech will follow.
I think about how easy it is to say mean things to people I love when I’m having a bad day or not feeling very good about myself. I’ve found myself wishing I could take those hurtful words back as soon as they’ve left my lips. It usually has nothing to do with the person I’m talking to do but everything to do with me. And those words spoken from a hurting heart leave me feeling guilty and even more sad.
On the other side of the coin, when I think about some of the greatest hurts I’ve experienced in my life, most of them have nothing to do with physical pain or other kinds of losses. They usually have everything to do with things that were said to me or words that were spoken about me. Words that cut like a knife.
I think the biggest obstacle most of us face is we don’t pay close enough attention to the words we speak. We forget how much power we yield with our tongue. We spout things off without thinking about how the person hearing our words might interpret them or react to them. I know we’ve all left conversations regretting things we have said and wishing we could take them back. There’s nothing worse than putting that proverbial foot in our mouth!
One thing I personally am trying very hard to work on is simply thinking before I speak. I’m trying to refrain from interjecting something into a conversation that really won’t add value to anyone. Stepping back for that split second to think my words through a little bit. That’s super hard to do when you are a “Chatty Cathy” like me, but honestly, I am trying!
I’m trying because I know that the truth is, what we say and how we say it can have a huge impact in other people’s lives because words are powerful.
These are some of the questions I’m trying to ask myself:
Am I adding value by the words I speak, or am I detracting? Am I lifting up, or am I tearing down? Am I helping someone move forward, or am I holding someone back? Am I encouraging them to reach for their dreams, or am I letting my own jealousy come through? When I have to confront an issue, can I confront with loving words instead of anger?
We use words all day long, so the opportunity to add value to someone else through our words is limitless! When we do have to have a tough conversation with someone close to us, choosing our words wisely does make all the difference.
I would love to hear any tools you use or ideas you have on ways to build each other up and add value to others with our words. Please share those ideas by responding to this blog .
This is so important, my friend, because WORDS HAVE POWER!
Hugs,
~Jill
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