"Love Affair" with Words

Note: "Love Affair" here means "something special - in a good way" - originally written on September 3, 2011

Words are one of my favorite gifts from God. I love reading, writing and conversing with people. There’s something so powerful about hearing, seeing or putting words together. They can either make or break people:

• A letter can either restore or end a relationship
• A conversation can either launch a destiny or kill a dream
• A book can either change a life or deceive a wondering mind
• A text message can either ease a worry or make one worry
• An advice can either give courage or discourage
• An email can either brighten up a gloomy day or turn a bright day gloomy
• A blog entry can either encourage a downcast soul or cause sadness
• A statement can either stop someone from getting ahead of God or push a person to disobey
• Many more :)

Countless times, I have been guilty of not being a good steward of this gift. Intentionally or not, I have hurt, discouraged, put down, or made some people angry because of my words. It pains me that in these situations, God is most sad.

We cannot underestimate the importance of using words wisely and well. Once said, we can no longer take them back. The Bible says that “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks”  (Matthew 12:34)– so it is important to always let God search our hearts and cleanse it so that what comes out of it will be clean.

“Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, EACH WORD IS A GIFT.” Ephesians 4:29, The Message

Dear Lord, I am sorry for the many times my words are not pleasing to You and beneficial to others. Cleanse my heart and help shape my words as gifts –that by Your ever-sufficient grace, I will learn to say (and write) only those which will help, encourage and build others up. May my words always put a smile on Your face.

Aside from this important thing about words in relationships, I think I have a "love affair" with words in my personal journey. I always find it beneficial to take time to write down my thoughts and organize them with the help of words. I love turning my emotions into poetry or my random thoughts into a blog entry. This helps me sort things out. I keep a journal of my prayers and read the entries every now and then. God never fails to strengthen me and re-ignite my faith each time I do so.

And if you'll ask me what I love most about words, it's this: God uses His written Word to encourage us, right our wrongs, transform us, comfort us, give us hope, speak a promise, and birth a dream in our hearts.

Thank You Lord for Your beautiful gift of words! :)