Word Power

Do you always say what you mean? Are your words always understood? How many times have you said something you wished you could take back?

Famous American Poet, Emily Dickinson, put it this way:

A word is dead when it is said, some say.

I say it just begins to live that day.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, gave words a picturesque twist: A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11 NIV). 

That’s encouraging. I may not be a creative genius, but with my everyday words, I can create something beautiful.

I love the treatise on words by James. His is a short five-chapter book in the New Testament. But in chapter three, you’ll find a nice section about words. 

The Message Bible (MSG) states his premises quite clearly. We'll share a few:

1. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you'd have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.

2. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can be like a spark that sets off a forest fire.

3. You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue---it's never been done.

4. Curses and blessings come out of the same mouth. This can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it?

1.    You are a person with great power. Don’t sell yourself short.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” says Proverbs 18:21 (NIV). Words can heal or destroy. In your lifetime, I’m sure you’ve been on the receiving end of both. 

Knowing how words have affected you, stop right now and give yourself a pep talk:

My words make me a powerful person,

Therefore, I need to think before I speak.

No one controls my tongue but me.

Reminder to self:

Don't just blurt---be alert!