All of you know me to some degree or another. That much is apparent. What some of you may or may not know, however, is of my deep love, almost reverence, for language. I view humanity’s capability for articulate speech to be a divine gift. It was, after all, through words that God spoke the universe into existence. John recounts that the Word (logos) was with God and the Word WAS God. (John 1:1)
Words are our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. They can be used to edify, build, and create or to destroy, subvert, and harm. The choice is in how we use them. Think of as many phrases as you can where words signify a great turning point in life. To name a few:
Guilty.
Not guilty.
I do.
I love you.
I forgive you.
I hate you.
Words are the vehicles by which our souls touch one another. The result from that contact often produces effects which last significantly longer than those of their physical counterparts. If one receives a punch on the arm he may have a bruise and some tenderness for a few days to remind him of the event. One angry word, however, might produce a scar on the soul which will remain sensitive for a lifetime.
I can, with painful clarity, recall the look on faces when I’ve spoken words in anger. I can see it as plain as the noonday sun in the sky when something I have said slips past any pretense of defenses and finds that all too sensitive spot in the armor and wounds. It isn’t worth it. To borrow from Harry Potter, hateful words can be like Voldemort splitting himself into several fragments by creating a horcrux, you lose a part of yourself in the process. And despite being told you’re forgiven for those words, whether they were hastily spoken in anger or as part of a methodical attempt to damage, both parties recall what has been spoken and will carry those words inside them until the end of their days whether they ever reference them again or not. They are assimilated and insert themselves into your life to carry forevermore like mutational DNA. It’s the same tactic an unscrupulous attorney would use to implant an idea in the mind of the jury knowing full well that the transcript would be stricken from the record, but the memory of the thought can never be expunged.
Likewise, I can remember with a clarity I’d rather not have, moments in my life when words – quirky little arrangements of letters placed in specific relation to each other – have scalded my heart and even made it difficult to breathe for all the psychic damage they inflicted. Sure, those wounds have faded, but I’ll never forget the words. And even to this day, hearing certain words, especially specific phrases which I will never divulge, trigger a gut-level emotional response that I have to struggle to suppress and take in a new context because of past associations.
But not all words are bad.
A well placed note or talk with tenderness at a time when it is needed might provide the impetus for a lifelong friendship or even a chance to turn a life around and begin anew.
Jesus spoke to the woman at the well. He didn’t need to. He could have forgiven her and through one miracle or another caused her to be cognizant of it. But He spoke. Likewise, He could have simply forgiven in his heart those who crucified Him and those who were crucified concurrently with him. But, He chose to speak. By speaking, he imparted a surety. He left all who heard with something they could carry with them and remember the rest of their lives.
I have spoken words in quiet times and in gentle voices to those who have needed to hear. It was a great pleasure for me to give a balm in a time when it was desperately needed. But those times need no further public lauding. I carry the moment with me and so do those who heard. That is enough for this forum.
Simply be mindful of the great power each of you has the ability to invoke. I know some of you have the gift of words and use them to great effect. Others may have a raw ability that is unrefined at present but still no less powerful. Regardless of your level of education, your heart will tell you (particularly in times when your emotional register is at one extreme or the other) what to say. Just pay special attention to it, “for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”
… and what better way to judge a person’s heart than by what he or she says?
The House of Daugherty 