There's Hope For TodaySample

It took surgically-enforced silence to drive home the value of the spoken word. Doctor’s orders – not a peep for three weeks.

After three days, I was showing all the signs of cracking up. I wasn’t built for silence. Our vocal cords vibrate more than two million times per day. What do we have to show for the effort? Much of what we say is frivolous. Sometimes our words are reckless – more often, benign. In the silence, I reassess the value of words … encouraging words, uplifting words, thankful words, loving words. We should make words count. We should load them with meaning. We should use them with grace. We should soak them in tenderness. We should craft them with care, until our intentions are unmistakably clear. We should use them for the highest and best. To one suddenly silent, offensive words are doubly so. To waste a word to curse or gossip is like throwing gold coins into a bottomless well.

Something precious is irretrievably lost when foolish words flow out of empty heads. Words reveal what the heart conceals. Is the vault of our heart filled with gold or scattered pennies? Consider the value of the spoken word – a common luxury so sadly devalued.