The Power of Words

“The tongue has no bones but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.” ~Anonymous

Words. As a writer, I love them. They are how I share stories with readers. As a reader, I love them. They are how I dive into stories and go off on adventures with characters or how I find out about historical events I want to use in my own stories. As a person, I love those words too because that’s how I communicate with those around me. As a Christian, the words in the Bible or the words in a sermon or devotional can be a guide for me.

Words do have power.

Think about how many words you say in a day or that you hear or that you read. I would never be able to count them all up. When I’m writing, or especially when I’m editing as I am now on my work in progress, I sometimes weigh every word to see its worth. But when I’m talking, I’m rarely that careful. But perhaps I should be.

This was brought home to me last week when I was talking with my sister-in-law. She said she’d been talking about me.  She and her daughter were talking about the daughter working in Bible School and how there was a child who was hard to get to cooperate. All of us who have worked with children in church settings know how difficult that can be. You don’t want to be cross with the child. The child is at church to learn about the Lord and Christian love. At least that’s what you want the child to experience. At the same time, a kid can get on your last nerve if he or she continually misbehaves and perhaps makes such a disturbance that the other children are cheated out of the good experiences you want them to have. That can be when it’s easy to do or say the wrong thing.

Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you may stick with someone for a lifetime. (Rachel Wolchin)

So why was that making them talk about me? Well, her daughter said she was trying to stay positive with the misbehaving child and that made her think about a memory of when she was a child. When she was very young she had a hard time controlling her temper when things didn’t go her way. That resulted in her getting into trouble on a few occasions and perhaps thinking she was a bad girl. She told her mother she remembered me hugging her once and telling her she was such a good little girl. All these years later, she remembered that moment and those words when I have no recollection of that at all. She was a sweet little girl and I’m sure I did hug her and say those words. But I had no idea I was making a long term memory for her. That is just proof of how a child can grab our words and store them away in their memory.

“Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.” ~Blaise Pascal

Unfortunately, there have been other times with other people when my words weren’t as good. I have sometimes unintentionally upset others with something I carelessly said or when I was misunderstood.  At times, other people’s words have upset me. It is so easy for words to be misunderstood or taken more seriously than they are meant. As I’ve gotten older and now with social media ready to seize on any wrong word, I’ve tried to watch my words. I want my words to be encouraging and uplifting. Not the kind that injures. Sometimes that means thinking before I speak. Sometimes it means choosing my words carefully. Sometimes it means simply not saying anything at all.

“Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.” Anonymous

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24 NIV)

Do you remember some especially kind words someone said to you that you still treasure?

P.S. The picture is of my mom and my daughter. You can see by my daughter’s face that Mom always said those words sweet and kind to her.