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I am reminded this morning that words matter. The very young children at our church service put on a lovely musical to complement the sermon. One of the songs they sang said that words matter. Just yesterday, I read something by Julia Cameron who has written several books on creativity. She, too, stressed that words matter.
It is important to us to be diligent in the words we choose because we try not to offend others in how we communicate. Yet, it is more important that we show due diligence in our words because we are vulnerable to our own descriptions of events, actions, and situations. Self-talk can especially damage our esteem and limit how we play in the game of Life. Words have pejorative connotations and perspectives that easily render us defeated before we rise to the occasion of challenge.
In working with numerous colleagues in grass roots community endeavors, it is amazing to watch an individual become confused, fearful, unable to provide leadership, break down and back out at the last minute before an event or presentation, and show limited creative solutions to problems – all because of the frequent statements of “I can’t” to express doubt and fear.
We certainly want to be kind to others in our use of words. However, we really need to be kind to ourselves with how we label and describe situations. It can mark the distinction between effort vs. struggle; power vs. ineffectiveness; clarity vs. confusion; hope vs. defeat.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
© Dr. Drayton-Craig, 2010
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Words do matter whether speaking to yourself or to someone. I am concerned about the new electronic language that is being created by this generation it is already leading to no human contact so will there soon be a new language with no sound.
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