Over Spring Break, I had the privilege of attending church with my sister and her lovely family at Chapel Pointe in Michigan. This church is very dear to my heart for so many reasons. Being that it was just a few days after surgery, I was planning on simply "sitting" and hugging the necks of sweet friends in between services. That is, until Joel decided to speak on words. And then it was all over.
You see, words have been on my mind for a while now and when forced to rest and slow down, there are countless hours available to get lost in thought. How words are used, the meaning behind them, the hidden meaning that we don't even realize we are throwing out there. My own words. The words of others. Words I wish I hadn't said or written. Words I wish hadn't been said to me. Words I still want to say. Words I long to hear. Words on the pages of books. Words spoken by pastors and authors I respect. Words from my Father, written to me through scripture. Words.
While it is something I know firsthand, as I am sure you do, Joel once again reminded me of the power of words as he taught from the Ephesians and James. Even as I type, memories of words I have used poorly flood my mind. The power to build up or to tear down, to encourage or to hurt, to bring together or to increase division. They hold the ability to bring us to tears through laughter or tears through pain. They can trigger hurt deep within or remind us of the sweetest of memories.
I guess words are so powerful because of our deep longing within to be heard AND understood. Hence the reason things like Facebook, Twitter, and blogging are so popular- we get to "speak" our minds freely. The guest pastor at my church in Houston spoke this Sunday about our desperate need to connect to God and to others. We were created for relationships and not superficial ones. We have a deep desire within us to have someone truly listen and get us and love us even when they know us fully.
When I began the writing journey, my prayer was (and still is) to never hurt anyone through my words, intentionally or unintentionally. Trust me, I have done plenty of that in my life. Those that know me well, know that I have a tendency to replay words in my head over and over and over and over again- I realize this is not usually a good thing, but it is inevitably what happens. This will typically end in me contacting said friend and asking for clarification or in me apologizing for the often idiotic words that flew from my mouth at that moment. That all goes back to the desire to be heard and understood and my desire to hear and understand the people in my life.
In thinking about Joel's teaching on words, I wonder what would happen if we (I) thought more carefully about the words being spoken- verbally or through written text. I wonder what I would actually say if I would ask myself what power I plan on using with these words- the power to build up or tear down. I think we can all agree that there are plenty of words being thrown around at this point in time that are only causing intense hurt, extreme divisions, and more confusion than was there the day before. Facebook can feel like a full on assault if we aren't careful about who we follow and the words we allow into our lives.
Personally, I don't want to add to any of it even though I know there will be times I fail and pray daily for the sensitivity to know when I need to ask for forgiveness. I want my words to bring encouragement, healing, laughter, and life.I want my words to be replayed over and over again in the minds of those like me as good instead of hurtful. I want my words to show love in the midst of a broken and hurting world.
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