Intentional Words

There’s a great scene in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz” between Dorothy and her straw-filled friend, the Scarecrow.  As they meet for the first time, the Scarecrow confesses, “I haven’t got a brain... only straw!”  Dorothy thinks for a moment and asks, “How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?”  He replies, “I don’t know... But some people without brains do an awful log of talking... don’t they?”

There’s a very short distance between our mind and our mouth... and all too often, if we aren’t careful, we engage the latter before using the former.  Speaking without thinking is not only foolish... but unbiblical.  In Ecclesiastes 5:2 it says “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God...”  Everything we share should be intentional and well-thought through... encouraging, uplifting, God-honoring, and purposeful.  Once they come out of our mouths, we can’t take our words back... so let’s think about each one... and use the brain God gave us to brighten the world.  

Damage

VanMoof bicycles had a problem.  The Dutch company would ship orders to people that wanted one… but far too many were damaged during the process.  Careless delivery drivers, cargo shifting during transit, and airplane storage problems all took their toll on these beautiful vehicles before they could arrive at the homes of those awaiting them.   The solution?  Not one that you would expect.  The co-founder of the company realized that their bikes were about the same size (in the box) as a large flatscreen television.  He knew that flatscreens arrive at their destination far less damaged than his bikes because those that handle them believe them to be more fragile.  Thus… VanMoof began to print pictures of large televisions on their boxes.  

The damage rate fell 70 to 80 percent.  

People protect what they perceive to be valuable…at least when it comes to televisions and the like.  

What about the things that REALLY matter?  How protected are people’s hearts and minds?  How careful are they about protecting their thought life?  What are they letting in that could permanently damage what God created to be pure?   Problem with most people is that they think the mind is like those bicycles… able to take mental hit after hit and still remain viable and healthy.   It’s just one movie.  It’s only an image on a computer screen.  It’s a tasteless book, a dirty joke, or a friend who’s a bad influence.  Each of these hurt us.  Collectively they can cause our lives to derail, our faith to wither, and cloud our ability to make God-honoring decisions.  

Scripture tells us in Philippians 4:8:  “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Great advice.  For some of us this is an hour-by-hour or minute-by-minute commitment.  Some are in environments that are not conducive to Godly thinking.  In any case, take today and recommit to protecting what goes into your mind.  Once it’s there… it’s there.  You can try to imagine it away or think about other things… but when it comes to filling your head with inappropriate images and words… there can be permanent damage.  See your mind like those shipping clerks did when they saw that image of a TV on the box… and handle your thought life with extreme care!

Spot

No matter where you live you’ve probably seen it.  In fact, I would guess that it irks you and may cause you to feel angry and upset.  What is it?  It’s someone who takes up two or more parking spaces with their vehicles.  It never fails… you are desperately looking for a place to park and think you’ve finally found the perfect spot.  That is until you go to turn in and the car next to you is over the line… or better yet… parked diagonally across two or more spaces. 

I ran across one person’s solution to this dilemma. They leave a note.  Not a note that chews the driver out or calls them all sorts of words that you wouldn’t find between the covers of the Bible.  No, this note is more subtle.  They draw a picture of a dog and below the sketch write: “I am giving you this dog, his name is Spot.  I thought you might want him, as you seem to be trying to take as many spots as possible.  I hope this helps.”

Clever, right?

But how does the person receiving the note feel?  If I’m guessing I would say that the message isn’t seen as “kinder”… it’s seen as sarcastic, passive, and unnecessary.  The driver more than likely balls up that sketch and throws it to the ground in disgust… vowing to take up three spaces next time they park.

But why?  It was meant in fun… a sweet reminder that they were out of line.

Problem is… just because we mean a message in one way, it doesn’t mean it has to be taken that way.  It happens all the time… we text something and the reader reacts in a completely different way than intended.  We send an email only to have it returned with question marks and hurt feelings in the reply.

The Bible tells us to watch our communication… in any form.   It is to be Godly and well thought through… each word or image specifically chosen to glorify God, encourage another person, or bring peace to a situation. 

Colossians 4:6

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Proverbs 16:23

“The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.”

Proverbs 18:2

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”

Proverbs 15:1

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Ephesians 4:29

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

While we can’t control the reaction to our words…we can control the words (or images) before they leave our mouths or minds.  Let’s make every effort to bring peace with our speech… in all forms… so that even if the person receiving our communication reacts poorly, we know that we have done our level best to glorify God with every syllable.  

Unspoken

A Hebrew poet once said, “As long as a word remains unspoken, you are its master; once you utter it, you are its slave.”  So true.  Words are powerful.... they can change the course of a relationship...or ignite a revolution.  But once they escape our lips... we are responsible for their affect on the world.  

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 21:23 “"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble"   Studies have shown that the average person speaks around 13,000 words per day... that’s a lot of opportunity to make mistakes!  But it’s also a tremendous chance to share love, grace, encouragement, and, most of all, the Gospel.  Today as you have conversations... choose to be verbally intentional. Think through each syllable... weigh out each phrase.... And remember, you can’t take words back... but you can make them count for Christ.  

Christmas Words

The other day I read that as a pane of glass breaks, the cracks travel faster than three thousand miles per hour down the length of the glass.  Hard to believe anything could cause that much damage so quickly...  As I was thinking about this piece of trivia, one thing came to mind that might be comparable...

Our words.   What we say can cause widespread destruction in very little time.  A sarcastic response... a jab.. or maybe it’s more directed pain.  Maybe it’s bringing up the past or a hurtful memory... perhaps it’s tearing someone apart just because we seek revenge.  Whatever the circumstance, words can wound deeply.  

Scripture tells us in Ephesians 4 that we shouldn’t let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths.  Any.  Why?  Because as much as we might want to, once words come out... they can’t go back in.  The person is hurt...the relationship over...the damage done.   God-honoring speech is a conscious choice... and no matter what a person’s background, environment, upbringing, or influences are...they can still decide to honor Christ with their words.  This Christmas, make the choice to spread holiday cheer…. one God-honoring conversation at a time.  

Simplest

According to the Global Language Monitor... as of January 1st of 2012, there were over 1 million words in the English language.   In fact, a new word is created every 98 minutes!   Out of all of those words, well over a hundred thousand are rarely used because they are technical and/or scientific.  

Isn’t it amazing that when we read the Bible... the most important and life-changing part of it is perhaps the simplest?  In Acts 16:31, Paul and Silas are in jail talking to their captor.  During that conversation, the jailor asks “What must I do to be saved?”... and here was their simple...non-scientific...non-complicated answer... “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”  10 words.  No fluff.  Nothing extra or tough to understand.  We have a million word options when sharing our faith... but no need to complicate what’s meant to be easily understood. Trust Christ with your life... spend eternity with Him.  Simple word choice... infinite impact. 

Unspoken Words

A Hebrew poet once said, “As long as a word remains unspoken, you are its master; once you utter it, you are its slave.”  So true.  Words are powerful.... they can change the course of a relationship...or ignite a revolution.  But once they escape our lips... we are responsible for their affect on the world.  

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 21:23 “"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble"   Studies have shown that the average person speaks around 13,000 words per day... that’s a lot of opportunity to make mistakes!  But it’s also a tremendous chance to share love, grace, encouragement, and, most of all, the Gospel.  Today as you have conversations... choose to be verbally intentional. Think through each syllable... weigh out each phrase.... And remember, you can’t take words back... but you can make them count for Christ.  

The Speed of Pain

The other day I read that as a pane of glass breaks, the cracks travel faster than three thousand miles per hour down the length of the glass.  Hard to believe anything could cause that much damage so quickly...  As I was thinking about this piece of trivia, one thing came to mind that might be comparable...

Our words.   What we say can cause widespread destruction in very little time.  A sarcastic response... a jab.. or maybe it’s more directed pain.  Maybe it’s bringing up the past or a hurtful memory... perhaps it’s tearing someone apart just because we seek revenge.  Whatever the circumstance, words can wound deeply.  Scripture tells us in Ephesians 4 that we shouldn’t let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths.  Any.  Why?  Because as much as we might want to, once words come out... they can’t go back in.  The person is hurt...the relationship over...the damage done.   God-honoring speech is a conscious choice... and no matter what a person’s background, environment, upbringing, or influences are...they can still decide to honor Christ with their words.  Make the choice... and commit to using words for lifting up and not lashing out. 

Watch Your Words

“And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong.  In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.”   James 3:4-5

Words change things.  They cause leaders to fall and the unlikely hero to rise.  They make people do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do.   They are persuasive and transformational.   Words are powerful.  It only takes a few syllables to change an entire situation.  Perspectives to shift... minds to change...  The tongue can bring hope and a word on a page can alter the way you see things forever.  In today’s verse, we see a parallel drawn between the relatively small rudder of a ship and our tongue.  Both steer things.  Both can shift direction.  Both can cause big change.  

Sometimes words can be positive...  A different way of saying something can make things better... more descriptive... clearer.   Huge results can come from just a few well spoken phrases.   Jesus Himself used the perfect words at the perfect time to remind us that we aren’t perfect... but we are His. 

But sometimes words can hurt. 

They can cut us deeply and cause us to doubt ourselves and the size of our God.   Maybe someone you know has hurt you with their words... and maybe you’ve started to believe what they said about you.   Perhaps you’ve allowed your tongue to say a few things that caused some damage... and you don’t know how to fix it.  I want to challenge you today to think about words differently.  Monitor each word that you say....or text... or instagram...or tweet....  Ask yourself... is this going to build a person up?  Make the world a better place?  Reflect Christ?  Am I controlling my tongue or is it controlling me?  

It’s much better to think through our words before they leave our lips than it is to rebuild the damage caused by careless remarks.  When we make the choice to honor God with every syllable... we worship the One who loves us and created us with a purpose. 

Broken Glass

The other day I read that as a pane of glass breaks, the cracks travel faster than three thousand miles per hour down the length of the glass.  Hard to believe anything could cause that much damage so quickly...  As I was thinking about this piece of trivia, one thing came to mind that might be comparable...

Our words.   What we say can cause widespread destruction in very little time.  A sarcastic response... a jab.. or maybe it’s more directed pain.  Maybe it’s bringing up the past or a hurtful memory... perhaps it’s tearing someone apart just because we seek revenge.  Whatever the circumstance, words can wound deeply.  Scripture tells us in Ephesians 4 that we shouldn’t let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths.  Any.  Why?  Because as much as we might want to, once words come out... they can’t go back in.  The person is hurt...the relationship over...the damage done.   God-honoring speech is a conscious choice... and no matter what a person’s background, environment, upbringing, or influences are...they can still decide to honor Christ with their words.  Make the choice... and commit to using words for lifting up and not lashing out. 

The Scarecrow

There’s a great scene in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz” between Dorothy and her straw-filled friend, the Scarecrow.  As they meet for the first time, the Scarecrow confesses, “I haven’t got a brain... only straw!”  Dorothy thinks for a moment and asks, “How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?”  He replies, “I don’t know... But some people without brains do an awful log of talking... don’t they?”

There’s a very short distance between our mind and our mouth... and all too often, if we aren’t careful, we engage the latter before using the former.  Speaking without thinking is not only foolish... but unbiblical.  In Ecclesiastes 5:2 it says “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God...”  Everything we share should be intentional and well-thought through... encouraging, uplifting, God-honoring, and purposeful.  Once they come out of our mouths, we can’t take our words back... so let’s think about each one... and use the brain God gave us to brighten the world.  

Window Pain

The other day I read that as a pane of glass breaks, the cracks travel faster than three thousand miles per hour down the length of the glass. Hard to believe anything could cause that much damage so quickly... As I was thinking about this piece of trivia, one thing came to mind that might be comparable...

Our words. What we say can cause widespread destruction in very little time. A sarcastic response... a jab.. or maybe it’s more directed pain. Maybe it’s bringing up the past or a hurtful memory... perhaps it’s tearing someone apart just because we seek revenge. Whatever the circumstance, words can wound deeply. Scripture tells us in Ephesians 4 that we shouldn’t let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths. Any. Why? Because as much as we might want to, once words come out... they can’t go back in. The person is hurt...the relationship over...the damage done. God-honoring speech is a conscious choice... and no matter what a person’s background, environment, upbringing, or influences are...they can still decide to honor Christ with their words. Make the choice... and commit to using words for lifting up and not lashing out.