the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” Colossians 3:17
(NIV).
Words are powerful. I'm learning that more and more. A few years, I was
with a few of my fellow youth workers, we went indoor rock climbing. It came to me. I get paid to do this. I mean the indoor rock climbing was Free, the company wanted us to try it out so that we might bring our groups there.
They claim to be the “Biggest Indoor Rock Climbing Facility on the East
Coast.” I don't know how true that is; but it is quite a statement. So what does this have to do with words being powerful? Well, A lot actually. The claim that this company made was like ok is it for real?
It got me thinking how real do we make God to ourselves, to others?
I mean we go through the motions; say the words; or are we just playing
a game of sorts. What we say makes an impact. And usually what we remember
is the negative too. When someone has hurt us; or we have hurt someone.
When someone deals with issues like suicide; divorce; self-esteem and so forth. We remember the words. We know the time, the date and so forth
when tragedy strikes. For me it was my own father who died of a heart
attack. That was decades ago; but I still remember.
I remember a co-worker of mine being murdered and going to his funeral; I remember losing loved ones; and thinking Why me God? I remember my own
sin; my own needs; yet God shaping me and molding me.
I remember and dwell too often on the bad rather than the good. I also
remember the good times - becoming a Christian; leading someone to Christ; my mentor; my ordination; my wedding; my daughter's birth. Yet through it all I recognize that words ...Yes, words are powerful. So often we say a picture paints a thousand words; but what does one word or even a thousand words say? Who we are? How we are? What we are doing?
In my office, as I look around now, I don't see many pictures but more words. Like scripture verses, posters, diplomas, books and so forth.
They reflect who I am. What I read and study makes up what I think and say
and do. And as I'm writing this, I want myself, through my example, words
and all to be a living sermon. To reflect the God in me. That Christ is shining in me. It is not easy, nor does the forest that is in my own eye easy to log out; but with God's grace I am getting there. So how powerful are your words? What are you doing today to make an impact? Me, I'm getting ready to go to Subway and maybe share a Wordor two with them.
“I talk and talk and talk and I haven’t taught people in fifty years
what my father taught by example in one week – Mario Cuomo, former
governor of New York. (2003)
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