Words Matter

Did you see where Dictionary.com selected their word of the year for 2018?  The word they selected is not new, it’s been around since the 1500s.  The word they selected is not a surprise, because we live in a world where we have learned not to trust everything we hear.  The word is “misinformation,” defined as “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.”  

        With the onslaught of social media, millions of people have the ability to share information with large audiences, whether it is credible or not.  It’s so easy to hit “share” or “send.”  It’s not so easy to determine whether what we share is true.  When we pass along misinformation, people can be hurt, careers can be in jeopardy, marriages can be destroyed—even if we are innocent in our motives. 

        The bottom line is that words matter, and words can make all the difference in the world.  We hear so many words today that are demeaning, degrading, and hurtful.  Do our words build up or tear down?  Do they hurt or heal?  Are they redemptive or destructive?

        So many people continue to carry the painful scars from hurtful and cruel words they heard as a child.  When a child hears, “I hate you.”  “You are worthless.”  “I wish you’d never been born.” --this creates a trauma that is often never healed.  But when we affirm our children and speak words of love and respect, when they grow up hearing positive and uplifting words, they have the confidence and positive energy to grow into a productive and successful adult. 

Did you see the movie, “The Help?”  Aibileen serves as “the help” for a white family and cares for little Mae, who often endures her mother’s harsh and unkind words.  But every day Aibileen looks little Mae in the face and says, “You is smart.  You is kind.  You is important.”  Aibileen who often endures degrading words of hatred and discrimination, understands the power of words and the need for little Mae to hear empowering words of encouragement and value. 

        I think about all the words I have communicated through the years.  I’ve been writing my Dispatch column for almost 28 years.  I estimate I’ve written well over 350 columns or somewhere around 250,000 words!   Mercy, that’s a lot of words!   And considering the fact that I’ve been preaching most every Sunday for over 41 years---well, that’s even more words!  

        I hope the great majority of my words have been words of grace, words of hope, words of kindness and love.  I hope that one day when people remember that old preacher from LA (lower Alabama), they will recall that his words lifted people up, gave people confidence and hope, brought people together and left them with a sense of peace. 

Words have great power.  The Genesis story of creation begins with God speaking.  Let there be . . .  It was through God’s word that the heavens and earth were created.  John begins his Gospel with the powerful proclamation:  “In the beginning was the word . . .”  The Word that was in the beginning with God is a word of love, a word of grace, a word of light and a word of life.

        This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent when we light candles of hope as we anticipate the day of celebration when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  John writes, “In him was life and the life was the light of humanity.”  My goal this Advent is to incarnate this living Word in my life so that I may reflect the light of God’s love and grace. 

        May my words speak of kindness and compassion.  May I always strive to lift people up, never to tear people down. May my words lead to reconciliation rather than division.  May I share truth and light through authentic information, rather than spread rumors and darkness through careless misinformation.   Most importantly, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in God’s sight—because, words matter.