The Power of Words

"The pen is mightier than the sword."
-Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1839

Technology is an amazing thing. At one point in time, the quill and paper was our primary means of communicating when we weren't face-to-face. But now, in our world of instant gratification, of immediate communication over distance, of text messages  and video messaging and direct messages and protected messages, people tend to forget that their words actually carry weight and could potentially have dire consequences when accountability is called for.

Such is the power of writing, of wordsmithing (as my father would call it). Its the power of persuasion, of confusion, of uplifting and sometimes destroying. And words, for some people, can carry more weight than for others. It's one of the reasons the Words of Affirmation is a Love Language. And yes, you can use words as defenses as much as weapons, and they can be used as igniters and defuses. Words can be used to paint the most beautiful picture in the theater of the mind, and can be used craft the most brutal statements to take down liars and manipulators in the court of law. Words, whether spoken or written or whispered or screamed, can mean the difference between your world flourishing and your world withering underneath you. And it all depends on the words that you let come out of your mind. 

It's for reasons like that I'm thankful for the Sunday school lessons, the VBS weeks as a child where we focused on fruits of the spirit and learning what our Father really wants us to focus on. Learning that even the internal conversations we have can lead to such tremendous consequences, so it's best to "think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected." (Phillipians 4:8)

But, even Jesus had moments of anger and righteous outrage. Even Jesus had to bring justice in the temple. And sometimes, turning the other cheek when the lies and harassment do not abate, even when warning has been given over and over, when it's not just my own reputation that is the target, but even my own offspring, it's time to truly harness the power of those words.