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THE POWER OF WORDS

Lately, it feels like no matter what you say, it’s never enough and it’s always too much. Low levels of civility coupled with high levels of cynicism have created the perfect storm to leave us feeling like we’re running on empty and always irritated.

One revelation I’ve had about myself in this difficult season of our world is that I was using negative words more and more frequently. I was speaking negativity into existence and giving it power. By emphasizing how hard leadership was during that season, for instance, I was making it harder than it had to be! My words became a self-fulfilling prophecy that reinforced a vicious cycle of negativity.

The same thing happens when you complain about people behind their backs, which was a second revelation for me. Want to change that dy­namic? You flip the script by catching people doing things right, then bragging about them behind their backs!

Your words are Occam’s razor—simple words can solve seemingly impossible problems. Your words are Archimedes’s lever—small words can make a world of difference.

But the tongue is a two-edged sword. “The tongue,” said Solomon, “has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21).

James, the half-brother of Jesus, said: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be” (James 3:9-10).

James likened the tongue to the rudder of a ship, which determines its direction (James 3:4).Your destiny, to a large degree, is a derivative of your words.

As Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

Our words have the power to bless or to curse, to heal or to hurt, to give life or to cause death.

Want to change your relationships? Change your words.

Want to change your attitude? Change your words.

Want to change your life? You guessed it! Change your words.

Lord, help me see opportunities today to use words to build others up, to speak positively, and to praise you. Help me catch myself before complaining or putting someone down. I want my words to bring life, not death. Amen.