Words Create Worlds
Ran into this and wow it spoke volumes to me. Consider the weight of your words. -Pastor Charles
I came across a phrase this past week that has stubbornly stuck with me: Words create worlds.” That old axiom may not be in the Bible (it’s attributed to Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel), but it is nonetheless true. It refers to the power of the tongue to either bless or curse. Scripture’s way of saying this is found in Proverbs 18:21 – “The tongue has the power of life and death...” The Message offers this paraphrase – “Words kill, words give life…you choose.”Every single one of us could give testimony to the truthfulness of this verse. We can go back in our minds to the teacher or coach or pastor or parent or grandparent who spoke life-giving words to us. We can remember how much wind it put in our sails when they said things such as…
“I believe in you.”
“I see some great things in you.”
“You are going to be a difference-maker.”
“You have some incredible potential.”
We can also go back in our minds to hurtful, destructive words that scared us and scarred us.
“I’m disgusted by you.”
“I’m sick of you.”
“You’re a loser.”
“You will never amount to much.”
Whether they were positive or negative, even though it may have been years ago, we still remember those words and can still feel the emotion they generated like it was yesterday.The words in our past echo in our present and they continue to shape our lives today.Words really do create worlds.
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