A Matter of Perspective

The power of words...

I think we can all agree that our words hold power. They can make someone’s day or ruin someone’s life. They can bring “sunshine” or usher in the “rain.”

I have found that the tone you use is also important, as is your stance (how you are holding/presenting yourself).

If I tell you I am sorry and I have a scowl on my face and my arms crossed and my legs positioned in a fighting stance...well, you might have trouble believing me, right?

Now suppose I tell you I am happy and am all bunched up and have a frown on my face. That will not portray much happiness.

If our words don’t match up with our gestures or body language, it makes those words less convincing.

Because our words hold power in spite of our physical stance, we have to be careful what we say.

I remember learning a song in Sunday School that went something like this:

“So be careful little tongue what you say (repeated 1x).

“For the Lord, up above is looking down in love so be careful little tongue what you say.”

There is a reason this is stressed.

Because our words hold power. They can destroy.

I also remember this old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.”

This phrase was to indicate that you could call me all the names you want and they won’t hurt me. But most of us know that just isn’t true.

I think it should say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words—they really hurt me.”

Our tongue and the words we say can be the most damaging things in the world.

Even the Bible talks about the tongue and how foul it can be. While there are quite a few things that the Bible says about the tongue, this one is probably one of my favorites: “James 3:8—But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

I have to be careful here because this was written for me, I think!

I have to remember, and so do you, that our words hold power. They can be used for good or for destruction. They can be filled with flowers and perfume and still be harmful.

Working on the taming of my tongue is one of my little (or not so little) revolutions this year!