Words of Life
I woke early, and maybe no earlier than normal…but my mind was racing…thinking about words.
What would we be without words? Where would life be without the power of words? I’m not sure I can express myself this morning but I will tell you my mind has been speeding through this thought, pausing to examine a nugget, and picking up the pace to the next stopping moment.
I exit the room, head for the lobby to spend some early morning time considering my overnight thoughts…what should be a quiet experience is actually a noisy time and place!
- The TV is on. Where normally there may be news telling the latest shades of facts to the world, there is instead one tele-evangelist after another speaking English but each has obviously been from another culture or country. The accent is strong, the language is stilted, the end result is difficult for me to understand clearly. It rattles in the background, rising to the surface of pausing my thinking process for a moment.
- Another restless guest turns on his computer and listens to news, a worker is conversing with someone back in the kitchen, and another person is holding a conversation with the front desk person.
- Now, even other guests, obviously temporary residents from the destruction of Harvey have joined the racket with their conversations, 3 mobile devices and their faces buried to the racket, “Come on. Get some food. It’s early. We have to get to school.” And the kitchen hasn’t even opened…
All of this makes a discordant racket. Words, thoughts and presentations clashing with each other. Noise riding the swell of discordant sounds, each yammering for their place in the world.
And yesterday’s newspaper is sitting on the table next to me. Full of words that tell their version of the past.
This world is full of the noise of words.
Words are miracles in small bundles.
Words represent life. Individually they describe a small particle of our lives. Combined they weave into existence a story, place or event. Words have meanings that change with each user, locale or generation. From day to day, town to town, family to family – words change their usage and meaning. It’s difficult remembering every day if the word “good” actually means what the dictionary says, or is it slang for something else.
Without words can we think through to a solution? Without words can we communicate to each other?
Without the strength of language we live only by instinct. Without sounding off our position and thoughts with each other we live in a narrow world of our individual use and understanding of words.
With words we build up and tear down. We bring to life and we slay, promote and destroy, love and take away life. Words pronounce judgement and actions follow. Words reveal secrets. Words hide facts.
Words are powerful, important, and necessary.
But… Just like radio stations of old, we must fine tune our experience to follow specific sounds. One tweak of the dial will move you from one yammering voice to the next.
Jesus has been teaching. Using lively words. Words that have history, meaning and are presented in a way that makes it hard for the hearers to accept and understand. They tell him so. But Jesus gives them the key to understanding his teaching.
“…The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Joh 6:63 (NKJV)
His words are Spirit (the very breath of all life), and Life (that which is distinguished from what has no Life).
You get to chose which words you think, what you focus on, where you let value enter your life. You can chose to tune into his words, or not. Receive His Spirit, or not. Receive life, or not. It’s your choice.
Early this morning, I choose to think life with a positive slant. I pick words that speak life and not death. I choose a better miracle of the words I think… and speak.