Christspeak, Rx

"Words have meaning." It may be a cliché in the blogosphere, but our word(s) is our power. I am learning just how powerful my word really is. Looking back at my use of this power, it has been painful to recognize how careless, ambivalent and thoughtless I’ve regarded my word.

The power of our word begins with integrity. Doing what I say I will do, when I said it would be done, and whenever I fail to keep my word I will accept full responsibility. I find most people I share this concept with fail to understand just how important integrity is in every aspect of our lives. Perhaps it is because I am learning about it in the most intimate manner possible, in therapy, I am grasping its significance.

This is not to say most people I know lack integrity. Quite the opposite is true. I think most of my family, friends, and even acquaintances live and work with the highest degree of integrity, as if it is their second nature. For that very reason, a person who has a high esteem for integrity is likely pursue its depth and significance in their lives.

As I said, I am learning the power of my word. It’s a thick book with many chapters, but here is what I want to share with my fellow bloggers; just how powerful our words are to other people.

Counselor: I don’t talk about others or gossip any more, Chip. Do you know why?

Me: Well, it is wrong…

C: I used to do it all the time, until I understood the power of my word.

Me: I guess I don’t understand completely.

C: We have the power to create with our word. You are a Christian, think back to Genesis… God said “let there be light.” And what happened next?

Me: There was light.

C: Absolutely. We have the same power. We say it will be done and we do it. And guess what? We have the power to create as well.

Me: Go on…

C: Suppose I look out my window and see my neighbor do something really dumb. I laugh and share it with my wife. Later that week I share it a neighborhood party, in the funniest manner possible, about what a bonehead this guy really is. I’ve just created a permanent picture of how all those people will view my neighbor.

C: Now that’s power. Once I realized the power my words hold, I quit talking about others.

I have been taught all of my life that it is wrong to gossip and/or speak ill of others. (And yet I’ve always acted as if there’s no real harm in it.) I know the Bible, which I believe is God’s word, says it is wrong as well. But I never understood why until I began to understand the true power of my word.

When I quit blogging on a regular basis, I said I wanted to learn how to write so that people would respond to my written word in the same manner they do with me in person. I don’t know if that is possible for me with my limited skills and experience. But I do know that I want to be regarded as man who is straightforward and kind; smart and humble; positive and encouraging.

// posted by Christspeak Rx @ 12:35 PM