The Power of Words

Do for Others What God Does For You
by Max Lucado
You and I have the privilege to do for others what God does for us. How do we show people that we believe in them?

Show up. Nothing takes the place of your presence. Letters are nice. Phone calls are special, but being there in the flesh sends a message.
Do you believe in your kids? Then show up. Show up at their games. Show up at their plays. Show up at their recitals. It may not be possible to make each one, but it's sure worth the effort. Do you believe in your friends? Then show up. Show up at their graduations and weddings. Spend time with them. You want to bring out the best in someone? Then show up.

Listen up. You don't have to speak to encourage. The Bible says, "It is best to listen much, speak little" (James 1:19 TLB). We tend to speak much and listen little. There is a time to speak. But there is also a time to be quiet. That's what my father did. Dropping a fly ball may not be a big deal to most people, but if you are thirteen years old and have aspirations of the big leagues, it is a big deal. Not only was it my second error of the game, it allowed the winning run to score.

I didn't even go back to the dugout. I turned around in the middle of left field and climbed over the fence. I was halfway home when my dad found me. He didn't say a word. Just pulled over to the side of the road, leaned across the seat, and opened the passenger door. We didn't speak. We didn't need to. We both knew the world had come to an end. When we got home, I went straight to my room, and he went straight to the kitchen. Presently he appeared in front of me with cookies and milk. He took a seat on the bed, and we broke bread together. Somewhere in the dunking of the cookies I began to realize that life and my father's love would go on. In the economy of male adolescence, if you love the guy who drops the ball, then you really love him. My skill as a baseball player didn't improve, but my confidence in Dad's love did. Dad never said a word. But he did show up. He did listen up. To bring out the best in others, do the same, and then, when appropriate:

Speak up.
You have the power to change someone's life simply by the words that you speak. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21 NKJV). That's why Paul urges you and me to be careful. "When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger" (Eph. 4:29).

Earlier I gave you a test for love. There's also a test for the tongue. Before you speak, ask: Will what I'm about to say help others become stronger? You have the ability, with your words, to make a person stronger. Your words are to their soul what a vitamin is to their body. If you had food and saw someone starving, would you not share it? If you had water and saw someone dying of thirst, would you not give it? Of course you would. Then won't you do the same for their hearts? Your words are food and water! Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down! Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has believed in you.


From A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2002) Max Lucado

I never cease to be amazed at how right on time some things in life can be. The old me would have chalked it up to dumb luck, no more coincidences now,. I'm facing the power of words in my life right now,. The power to build up and the power to cut to the marrow.


I try so very hard to choose my words carefully when dealing with others. I try to think about the implications of what I say and I also try to appreciate how my words may be construed by the person receiving them. I have no control over the tongues of others and I suppose that's where some of the pain lies.


It's easy in theory to say that one cannot be offended unless one chooses to take offense. Practical application is not an easy thing to swallow, especially when there are words spoken that pierce heart and soul. I often wonder why I've made some of the choices that I now live with on a daily basis. I go over in my head how if I'd done this or that thing if my life would be more fulfilling, more peaceful, more simplistic or full of much more love than what I see and feel right now.


The truth is that it's a moot point,. I'll never know because we don't get "do overs" in this life. I am the sum total of all of my life experiences. The good, the bad, the ecstasy and the painful are all intricately interwoven into the tapestry that is my life. I'm learning to live with what life hands me albeit not always gracefully. Oh I've made a funny. :-) Heather and graceful do not belong in the same sentence. See how I do that? I admit how I feel and then to take away the sting, I poke fun at myself as if that makes it all better.


How do you choose to use your words? Do you use them to build others up or do you choose to use them as instruments of destruction? You do have a choice in each and every interaction that you have in your life. The scripture that Max quoted earlier is very true: Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Let that soak in.....my words have the power to give life.

My words have the power to kill. You may be thinking how can words kill? It's really quite simple. Words can kill the spirit. Words can strip away self-esteem. Words change things in ways that can't be rectified. If I say that I love my husband or he says that he loves me and either of us use our words to tear each other down....that isn't love. It's critical and ultimately it will kill the love. It's the same in our friendships. How long do you think that a "friend" will stick around if the relationship is one where words are a type of warfare? Not long.


So how will I choose to use my words today? I think that my words won't be wasted if there isn't anything good for me to say. Lord knows I spent far too many years using them in ways that I know God didn't intend for me to use them. I'm too tired to play games.


I long for words that are encouraging. I long for His words, the words that breathe life into what otherwise would be an empty and dark soul. I long for the wisdom to deal with destructive words. Wisdom that doesn't tell me to run or withdraw.