The Power of Our Words

Words carry a magical power with the ability to impact others for good or bad.  Have you ever noticed this?  When was the last time someone said something to encourage you?  Do you remember the feeling you felt when this happened?  When this happens to me, I often feel empowered in a way I wasn’t before that person said something.  The opposite is true as well.  When people use harsh language with me, or say things with the intent of bringing me down… sometimes this upsets and makes it hard to manage the rest of the day.

There is a Jewish proverb that says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”  As a parent, I try as much as possible to build my kids up by speaking life into them.  When they accomplish small things like helping me out with housework, I try to remember to acknowledge how great they are for assisting me.  There have also been times where I’ve said things which I wish I hadn’t.  I can see how deflated they look and I’m very aware of the fact I caused it to be so.  Fortunately this doesn’t happen to often.

But when words are used to cause harm to another, the impact of those words can last a lifetime.  When we were kids, my dad rarely spoke to us.  The times he did converse with us, he wasn’t talking but always yelling.  Part of this was a cultural thing but still.  His words never comforted me, nor did they ever leave me feeling better about anything.  My inner person was always feeling gray around my father.  But fortunately for me, my father is a transformed person.  And fortunately for my kids, my husband Rob is always encouraging them.

Rob grew up without his dad being present in his life.  His parents divorced when he was a very young child.  You would think he would be more like my father.  But he is just the opposite.  Rob is an amazing father and husband.  He is always speaking life into our lives with encouraging words, acknowledging small milestones, and speaking the truth lovingly.  Without a doubt, this will be his legacy.  This will be what he was known for.  The best part about Rob is this, he is like this with everyone.

Then you have some people who are so angry at the world and the only way they can express their anger is towards other people.  I suppose if they are miserable, part of their mission in life is to make others around them miserable too.  Even today I was in line at the grocery store and the clerk was very upset, on the verge of tears, when it was my turn to be checked out.  She apologized to me for the wait and the funny thing was, I didn’t notice.  On her own initiative, she shared how the woman in front of me was yelling at her and complaining about something (I can’t remember what it was) which was out of the clerks control.  This customer used her words for bringing someone down and that wasn’t cool at all.  As I listened to this poor young lady, I told her how much I enjoyed the service I received and apologized for having to have gone through what she just experienced.  This young gal’s disposition started to change into a more peaceful state.  By the end of my transaction it was clear our conversation redeemed her hope in people.

The whole point of this post is to remind myself and you how powerful our words can be.  Each day we must be conscious of the impact we have with what we say and how we say it.  As far as my legacy is concerned, I would like to be remembered as the one who used her words for good and not for evil.

Tagged as: life journey