Words carry power.
I could have written that sentence in the following way: "Words are important." Whereas this conveys a similar message, the English teacher in me would offer two critiques. One, use the active instead of the passive voice. Two, why do words have importance? Use the answer to that question as a substitute for important.
Words carry power.
Therefore, speak life. Write hope. Script love. Construct joy. Convey truth. Message compassion. Inscribe empathy.
God spoke the world into existence (Genesis 1). Jesus's words healed, forgave, transformed, and resurrected. John's Gospel refers to Jesus Himself as the Word that brought forth all things (John 1:1-5).
God made us in His image and likeness. Therefore, our words also create. They create life, hope, love, joy, truth, compassion, and empathy.
They also, unfortunately, create "unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly" (Mark 7:21-22).
Words carry the power to create or destroy, to heal or hurt, to educate or fool, to love or hate. The stories that we tell ourselves and others, the ones that we listen to and repeat create our world.
Think about the words you proclaimed to yourself the last time you made a mistake.
"I'm so stupid/lazy/forgetful/bad," or "I'll never be able to do it" works on us and our world so much differently than something like, "I know what not to do now," or "I'll get it right next time when I try it this way," or "I can do hard things" or "I just can't do it yet."
Levi Lusko, founder and lead pastor of a Christian church in Montana, encourages us to be our own best coaches and cheerleaders as opposed to our own worst critics.
Speak life to yourself because words carry power.
God also calls us to speak life into the lives of others. St. Paul exhorts us, "Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8).
In a world bent on cancelling, destroying, and defeating, figure out ways to build others up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
"In the time of your life, live — so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches. Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding-place and let it be free and unashamed" (Sayoran, 1939).
Words carry power.
As such, and in any and every way possible, speak life - bringing the good, pure, noble, just, lovely, joyful out from its hiding place into existence.
Speak life.
To yourself.
To others.
And to the world, the one which we can create with our words.
