The Importance of Words

Sticks and Stones…. can maim and bruise, but it’s the power of words that can do more damage than we realize. Consider the importance of words you speak and hear – they can soothe, and inflame; challenge, and put down; calm, and incite a riot; draw someone close, and push them far away.

“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are,
as standing in a dictionary,
how potent for good and evil they become
in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Isn’t that interesting? Side by side in a dictionary. Potent. Good or evil. “… in the hands of one who knows how to combine them…”

Words influence and challenge us! Knowing how to put them together succinctly is a powerful tool in the hands of any person.

Here’s my thought today. Words can build up and tear down. Inspire, or bring crushing defeat. Words last a long time, even when the moment they are used pass us by. I can still hear words of my grandparents rattling around in my brain from over 60 years ago. “Want some cream?” referred to Ice Cream as asked by my grandma. “Grab those two wires and hold them together.” was from my granddad who wanted me to hold those live and sparking wires of the heater blower under the dashboard of his 1957 Chevrolet Apache truck. It was the only way to keep the defroster working! “Ain’t no way!” I’m sure this was my response!

According to scripture, it was the spoken word that framed everything we know. Ten times the Bible records the phrase from the author, “And God Said…”. At his spoken word, things happened. Not just acts of miracles, but acts of Creation.

If you think about this from those thousands of year old phrases, we see that our words create an environment around us. Peace. Hostility. Truth. Lies. Love. Hurt. Anger. Joy.

I had a manager that loved to tell little-boy dirty stories in meetings. The ladies would look aghast and hide behind their hands, and then giggle as if hearing it for the first time. The guys would chuckle and nod their heads to show they were on his side. I chaffed. It was not the time and place for an IT professional to show his little-boy side. Inappropriate. Unprofessional. Often vulgar. In private, that little-boy side became a grown-up with a vocabulary I never heard from other adults I worked with. I was never on his good side!

See… 30+ years later and I remember him only by his language, not by any good he may have accomplished in the organization. The attitude and purpose of our words are as important as the words we choose to use.

The apostle Paul referenced words and their usage often, many times speaking about them to congregations, cities, and countries. His words were used in person for years, and finally in writing for centuries. I wonder if he knew how far-reaching his words would spread? If you ever watch actor Dean Jones in a stage production of “St John in Exile“, you could envision the “scriptorium” where Paul and the other writers of the New Testament had their words translated and spread abroad.

“…yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
(1 Corinthians 14:19 NKJV)

He considered words important and based on his own understanding so that he could teach others. He considered this more important than speaking or praying in tongues that others will not comprehend. His background was impeccable (Philippians 3:5-6). He was taught by none other than Jesus Christ, long have the resurrection! (Galatians 1:11-12)

In other locations, he speaks about …unspeakable words… (2 Corinthians 12:4)  …few words… (Ephesians 3:3)  …vain words…(Ephesians 5:6) …enticing words… (Colossians 2:4)   …flattering words… (1 Thessalonians 2:5)

But it was the wording to Timothy, his protege, that takes on a deeper concentration of the use of words. Phrasing that grabs my attention this morning.

If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
(1 Timothy 4:6 NKJV)

Notice the word “instruct” – it’s origin alludes to the fact of “laying down” the information, and I take it to construe that you are building the foundation. Layer by layer. Doesn’t this make you realize how important it is to use words to build up! He instructed what he had devoted himself to, and was nourished by those instructions laid down in his own life!

We live in a world full of words. I walked down the aisles of a popular book store chain and I was struck by the millions, no, billions plus words that resided on the bookshelves just waiting for someone to peruse, and maybe take home and dive in! Some writings are there to instruct, others are there to bring doubt, confusion, and anger, while others are only there to entertain.

All my life I have gone to libraries to search for the written words that would explain the world to me, open up territories, and challenge me to keep adding to my knowledge. It’s even easier today to do this with software, but there is nothing like the experience of walking down the aisles of books that are the personal writings of millions of writers!

Words are important!

Think about it, every language group in the world has its own share of words that are common to them, and foreign to others. Slang, phrases, or even meanings of words take on a different life in a different culture, even country, and often change with the times.

Some time back I read an article, “10 Quotes That Changed The Way We Look At The World” by Nick Robins-Early at The Huffington Post [click title to read the article]. It came to me via some social media or news outlet. I was intrigued enough to read and reflect. While I can agree with some of the words and phrases used that reflected change to those of their time, I think that there are specific words that changed me in the way I look at the world around me, and hopefully brought change into the future.

I know you have your own list, but here are a few that were life changing to me.

• You can do it… And I hear the voice of my parents, grandparents, and siblings when I think of this phrase. Whether it was to challenge me to jump off that high cliff into Menard Creek when swimming, or helping me to find the courage to balance that bike on two wheels, or even later on one wheel as we popped wheelies up and down the street!
• Jesus… You may think this strange, but I hear my grandmother speak His name often in my mind as a result of how she called on Him often. It’s a habit I want to utilize, but it really only comes from knowing who he is, talking to him in prayer, and then knowing the power of the name! You accomplish much by depending on him so much … all you need to do is to speak his name.
• I am so proud of you... Graduating, completing a job, participating in a group effort. Regardless of the situation to know that someone is proud of me for the job well done, so, I learned to say it to others.
• I Love You… This stands alone and we all know it’s power.
• Want to go with me… As a young person looking up to older ones around me, these were words I often yearned for. A friend (Buddy Creel) taking me for a spin in his 1955 MG (co-owned of course), or even asking me to take my first road trip to relocate the family to Wyoming when I turned 16 (they needed a driver! YES!), or even asking me to eat out after church, spend the night, sing in the choir…
• You are so ______________…. and then fill in the blank for the moment. To one who never remembered me telling her she was beautiful, or to one I never said how much I appreciated them enough, or to another who I did not brag enough on accomplishments – these are words we fail to speak often enough with feeling.
• Will you marry me… Choosing a life partner is very important, and I’ve only used this phrase one time and hope never to have to use it again! Even at the age of 18 I knew who I wanted and was willing to plant the remainder of my life with this woman of choice. Even when others told me to wait a few years… Well, we’re nearing a major milestone of 45 years, so, there! We’re headed for milestones! My parents just celebrated their 65th… That’s a great goal to have!
• We are just about there… I’m longing for home…

I seldom get written responses to my blog, but I wonder if you would not take a moment and share some words that made a huge impact on you and the way you see the world around you… These words are important!

Listen to “Episode 181 – The Importance Of Words” on Spreaker.