The Word on Words

Three days in a row of having that song that doesn't end stuck in my head. Oh Lord, give me grace. My kids started it last week when they were singing it in the car. They tried to sing it as a round. That was so "not pretty" that it was hilarious- and just a little troubling. No, definitely not a round song.

It is instead, however, a lot like a computer virus. It entered my computer and has been interfering with my internal processing ever since. Imagine me in bed staring up at the ceiling with this silly song playing over and over again in my head. Somebody, make it stop!

Once an annoying song gets stuck in my brain, it seems to grow. The more I try to get it out, the more it grows roots and imbeds itself in there. My brain must be like fertilizer for irritating songs. If only I could sprinkle some of this gray matter on my garden. I'm not sure I like this comparison, but I think my brain might be better than manure. There's growth power in there somewhere!

Words are powerful little rascals. The words to that blasted song, for instance, have had the power to make me just a tad crazy for three days. The words we say can also tear down or they can build up. They can spark great inspiration or spark heated arguments. James 3:5-6 says, "A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything- or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that." (The Message)

When we give the Lord our hearts, our marriages and our families, we need to make sure our words are part of the deal. How many relationships have been blown apart by explosive word fall-out? The passage in James 3 continues: "By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell."

Weed out the words you don't need like you would weed your garden. Well, actually, I hope we all do better at word-whacking than I do at keeping the weeds out of my flower beds. One way to weed out the fiery words is to cultivate words of grace. Graciousness leaves little room for those mud-slinging, anger-sparking words. Colossians 4:6 says to "Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out." (The Message)

When we're focusing on others in our conversations, desiring what's best for them, we're not only cultivating words of grace, but we're setting loving, gracious examples for our children to follow. And need I even mention that we're setting examples when we use unkind words, too? Harsh, disrespectful, abrasive words spoken to our children will come back to haunt us. Titus 2:7-8 says, "And here you yourself must be an example to them of good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect your love of the truth and the fact that you are in dead earnest about it. Your conversation should be so sensible and logical that anyone who wants to argue will be ashamed of himself because there won't be anything to criticize in anything you say!" (The Living Bible)

Our words need to reflect goodness, kindness, love, truth, and sincerity. They should be sensible and logical when we're sharing the truths of Christ. When we're using these kinds of words, we're becoming the good examples to our children that we want to be. They're words that are also an example and a blessing to our spouses, our own parents, our friends and everyone we meet.

Words really are powerful. Let's use the power for good. Remember that words are catchy, too. As a matter of fact, some people started saying them, not knowing what they were. And they'll continue saying them forever just because... ah, man!

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.

email this message to a friend   |   DW Home

Rhonda Rhea writes for dozens of Christian publications and speaks at conferences and events across the country. You can find her newest books, "Soup for the Soul-Tastes Just Like Chicken", and "Amusing Grace", at your local Christian bookstore. "Who Put the Cat in the Fridge-Serving Up Hope and Hilarity Family Style", will be available in March. Rhonda's husband, Richie Rhea, is a pastor in Troy, Missouri. You can reach them through her Web site at: www.rhondarhea.net.