Words

I've been thinking about the power of words all week. And then I read this blog, and the wheels got to turning even more.

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I’m aware that men and women use thousands of words each day to express emotions ranging from anger, despair, envy, to joy, hope, and excitement. Words, after all, give meaning to our emotions and feelings. Without words, we would be like a person who wanted to cry but did not have the tears to shed. Words embody what we feel deep in our soul. Often times, our words fall short of what we really feel. Elie Wiesel said, for instance, the reason so many poets and writers committed suicide post-Holocaust was because “we had no more words.” Take words away from us, and we become stilted people. By the way, contrary to popular myth, sociologists and other researchers now believe that men and women use about the same amount of words per day: 16,000. Over a period of one year, this means we use, on average, 5,840,000 words. That’s a lot of words.

Even though we utter an immense amount of words, I think words matter. Specifically, I think the precise words we speak are vital and worth our attention.

Some words have the ability to destroy relationships. “You look fat in that outfit,” the bitter husband might quip to his already struggling wife. “You don’t cook as much as you should,” the demeaning mother-in-law might say, “You got to keep this house running. It depends upon you.” The tyrannical boss, whom you are convinced is related to Joseph Stalin, comes to your desk, “You’re lucky I haven’t fired you yet. I’m not sure why I keep you around. What good are you anyways?” I will never forget the time an older friend of mine in high school (who I looked up to) turned to me and said, “Some people are saying you might make varsity next year as a sophomore. I don’t see that happening. You don’t have what it takes.” I filed that away, and brought it out in the open every night as I pounded the basketball in the driveway, working on my game.

As demoralizing as words can be, words also possess the rare ability to bring about life and hope. When the young got-it-all together hot shot lawyer confesses to her husband that she’s been unfaithful to her marriage vows, she waits for a response. Will he go into a rage? Will he curse her up and down, using demeaning words she probably deserves? He speaks. She listens. “I am so deeply wounded. However, I love you. Because I love you more than life itself, I forgive you. I will not forget. But my love will overshadow my memory of what you’ve done.” There’s power in that word forgiveness.

The young teen comes into the room after having run away a week ago. It’s late, two in the morning. “Mommy? Daddy? I’m scared. I don’t know what I was thinking. Can I sleep with you?” The loving parent, on a good day, says, through her fatigue and confusion, “You are always welcome here.” There’s power in the word welcome.

After all, God does not think Creation into existence. He does not hope creation into being. Genesis says that God speaks and the world is formed. God shows us the power of words to create unimaginable worlds.