Words

I am fascinated with words. I suppose all writers are. My little great-grandchildren amaze me with all the words they know and new ones that they are learning all the time. The four year old’s favorite word is gibberish. I don’t know why she thinks it’s so special, but she repeats it often. I keep thinking that she will change to another favorite, but she doesn’t.

I guess words have to come from someplace, but it surprises me how many words we use in English that are really foreign languages. Examples include French words like déjà vu and faux pas, Latin terms like status quo, cum laude and quid pro quo, and Japanese words such as tsunami and karaoke. Or how about Italian words like a capella and prima donna?

Words can make us angry. They can cheer us. Encourage us. Inspire us. They are just plain powerful! I just finished reading the memoirs of my favorite modern day author, Calvin Miller, called Life Is Mostly Edges. Now doesn’t that make you stop and think what in the world he means? In it, he quotes several samples of poetry that he wrote over the years. For example, here is a quote from a poem he wrote after his newly adopted grandson arrived from India. “This child I so esteem Has magic power, and has demandingly Reduced the great Pacific to a stream. He tricked the Ocean into shallow shoals, Then waded it across to claim our souls.” Maybe poetry doesn’t impress you, but beautiful verse can move me to tears.

The point is: words are important. Let’s be careful how we use them. Here are some comments about them from Scripture that are certainly a challenge:

Proverbs 16:24 – “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

Proverbs 10:19 – “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.”

Job 23:12 – “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”

Psalm 19:14 – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”

Words can be spoken or written. Maybe God could use you today to send a meaningful note to someone you care about. One time after a concert a woman wrote an encouraging note to me and I kept it in my Bible for years. You never know what your words might mean to someone. Are there God-prompted words in your vocabulary?