The Power of Words

'Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks' (Timothy). What's your mouth full of? It's surprising how much you can tell about a person from what they saw, and how they say it.

There's a lot of power in words. Words can build you up, and they can cut you down. Words can bring healing, and they can bring destruction. Something said in haste that you later regret is not easily undone. Paul says that the tongue is like the rudder on a ship. It's a very small part, but it controls where the whole thing goes. Or like the steering wheel on a car. The wheel isn't very big, but it points you in the direction. Your words are like that. If you say you're going to do something, it's a lot harder to back out of it than if you just think you'll do it. If you say what you think out loud, you can't take it back, or alter it, as easily as if you keep your thoughts private.

When God created the universe, he spoke it into being. Now, even if you believe (like quite a few Christians), the story in Genesis is not literally true, but rather there to give us an idea of how it was done, to give a message about God, you can see that this instantly places an enormous amount of power in words. After all, Genesis demonstrates that words have the power to create hugely complex and intricate things. Our world, the plants and animals on it, us. In the story about the Tower of Babel, God said 'One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they'll come up with next--they'll stop at nothing; (Genesis 11 v 6 The Message). So speech has a huge amount of power. Just think about how much talking there is before anything gets done!

Given the huge power of words, you'd think we'd wise up and take care with what we say. Not always the case. I've certainly said things I've later regretted--I'm sure everyone has. Blessings and curses all start with words. What you say about yourself will influence you. If you say 'I'm worthless', that becomes your mindset, you act like it. If, every morning, you say 'I'm a child of God, I'm created in his image, I'm amazing', that's how you'll act.

It's not only words you say about yourself though. It's words others say about you, and words you say about others. Now, I know you don't have a whole lot of control over what other people say about you. But you can choose what you take in. You can choose where you define your truth. And you can certainly choose what you say about others.

I got bullied at school. People said nasty stuff about me. I don't think they realised just how much it hurt. I'd rather they'd hit me, to be honest. At least that way, you can see the effects and you know it'll heal up. When people hit you inside, nobody can tell unless you let them know. And it's a lot harder to heal, in the same way it's a lot harder to heal internal bleeding than external bleeding. So before you speak to people, think about what you're saying. Is it the sort of thing you'd want to hear about yourself? Are your words the sort of words that cut and wound, or are they words that bind up and heal?

And remember: God made you special and he loves you very much.