Powerful Words

I am always amazed at the power words have.
Wrap your head around that.
Written (or typed) words can change lives.
 

 

They inform.

They instruct.

They caution.

They invite. 
They encourage. 
They inspire.

They hope.

They hurt.

They heal.

They are powerful, and yet we use them without much thought most of the time. I'm reminded of the verses in James that talk about the power of the tongue and compare it to the bit in a horses mouth or the rudder of a ship with the power to set forests ablaze.  

Being a writer who also loves to read, I'm faced with using words and reading them all the time. I cringe when I think of how easily I can shoot off a text, make a sarcastic comment to a friend, or even create a Facebook status without much thought. It's usually only after time that we see the results of our words, whether negative or positive. 

I pray that, in all that I write or say, I would honor the Lord in all of it.  Whether it's a Facebook or blog post, an article, or even a text message, I want to be able to say it was written with thought.  I don't want to live aimlessly and I don't want to speak flippantly either.

Do you think about what you casually say? What you write? What you post? If so, how do you sensor what you post on Facebook or text to someone?

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Check out this article for a beautifully written, extremely powerful follow-up post about the Steubenville trail by the talented Ann Voskamp. She is a woman who uses her words powerfully with God's purpose in mind. I immensely respect her and her writing!