The Power of Words

"I doubt many people would argue about the power of the spoken word.

We don't need a master's in psychology to know that our hearts leap at the sound of affirming words. It's just how God wired us. Any co-worker with a new hairdo will agree. Any toddler who is potty training or husband who just closed the “big deal” will nod emphatically as well. We possess a tremendous ability to very simply "make someone's day" with heartfelt praise or to even alter the course of a life with the power of our words.

Oprah, Bill Gates, and Tiger Woods have all, at one point, attributed their early success to the empowering encouragement of someone else. Perhaps it was just a small phrase or statement, but one that was instrumental in building up or perhaps even just holding up hope and belief for a brief second. That can be all the time it takes to get someone to look at the mirror differently.

Conversely, it doesn't take that same graduate degree to know that the power of words can be unleashed as perhaps the most primitive of weapons. Most of us would agree that whoever penned that little ditty about "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" was obviously never a fifth grader. Words can not only hurt, but they can leave shrapnel in the soul long after the explosion hits and the smoke clears. Next time you need a reminder about the power of the negative word, dust off the book of James. It's been said that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. I think the spirit would agree.

So... having taken a moment to consider the power and impact of both our life-giving, affirming words as well as the life-robbing, destructive power of the tongue... here's one more thought to chew on, (pardon the pun). What about the power of words never spoken? For me, I can look back on my life and count too many times when I'd wished I'd listened to my gut (and the Holy Spirit) and just had the courage to open my mouth and let my heart spill out, regardless of the awkward moment. You've heard the rather overused challenge to live each day as it if were your last... but there is real wisdom there. Why wait to say "I love you?" Why wait one more day to forgive? Or to ask for forgiveness? There is a reason that Paul, in Ephesians 4, encourages us not to let the sun go down on our anger. Perhaps because he knew, as a hunted and persecuted man, that a sunrise the next morning was not something to be assumed. He understood, better than anyone, the importance of keeping his accounts short.

Say it now. Go there. The tongue might be powerful, but so are clenched teeth and a firmly set jaw. And silence can speak volumes we never meant to say. Matthew 12:34 reminds us that what is in our hearts, will come spilling out of our mouths. If your heart is full today, or even broken, consider springing a leak and letting someone know. The relief and healing that may follow will make you a believer in the power of words, all over again."

Nichole Nordeman
Dove Award-Winning Singer/Songwriter