Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Power of Spoken Word: Part 2

What I'm about to share is definitely not an attempt of mine to make myself look godly or good. I just wanted to share how I view the power of words.....and for this blog I'll focus on just the power of spoken words. All throughout my years in grade school I had a great group of dear friends and I am still so blessed to be considered their friend to this day. My friends and I had a great time together throughout junior and senior high school. We had some rough times too, but overall, I am so blessed by all the good times we had and that they are still so encouraging to me even seventeen years later. Okay, back to the thing that I was about to share.  It might seem a little crazy, but it's true. 

Throughout junior and senior high school I really tried as the silly, goofy, and oh-so-redheaded self that I was to get my classmates to see Christ in me. I tried to bring God and my beliefs about him into my everyday conversations so they might see in some small or big way that Christ had made a big difference in my life. I did not attempt anything crazy to get attention, but I prayed alot that God would help kids see the love of Christ in me....in my words and actions.  I tried to be brave (failed miserably in that most of the time) and tried to speak up about what I believed when given an opportunity. The key word here is tried. Many times I would choose to just blend in with the crowd in my attitude and my way of communicating. Regardless of my victories or failures in being a personal witness of my changed life, I knew that God was amazing, that He had rescued me from an empty existence, that He loved all people of the world far beyond any one person could or ever would.  And because of those things I knew and believed, I wanted others to know it too.  And I still want that for my friends......I want that for....well, everyone for that matter.

Many times I (and also several of my Christian friends) would get into random discussions with classmates about religion.  Most of the time my Christians friends and I would not start the discussions.  I believe God just worked it out that I was (we were) in the right places at the right times to hear schoolmates' thoughts and questions about religion and faith.  When it came to religious discussions, I wasn't great at saying many profound thoughts. I just tried, whenever the opportunity would open up, to tell them what I believed and how much it changed me. Thankfully I had several friends who were thinking just like me and desired to see their classmates come to know the love of God personally. 

Trust me, I'm getting to the reason why I titled this blog what I did. Thinking back to my time in junior and senior high school, most of the time I didn't see much evidence of anyone's life being changed because of my choice to show with my life that I loved God and that He loved us. But I do believe the statement "you reap what you sow".  Even today, I am curious what God chose to do with all those days of my junior and senior high school years when I attempted to share what I believed with those around me. I wonder about what my choice of words did for and/or to my friends, teachers and classmates who heard.

Questions I have about that time: Did the comments and spoken opinions I shared with people around me build up those who heard them?  Did my words sow seeds of negativity that over time have grown into a self esteem problem in some folks?  OR do words even have the power to do anything like that?  I might be getting a little too crazily picky and weird about this whole thing. If so, hang in there with me and keep reading.  heehee!

Either way, I know that the positive feedback, encouragement and leadership that people (friends, family and anyone else) have given me throughout my lifetime has seemed to stick in my mind and heart.  I grow in confidence when people speak positively into my life....into my circumstance.  And even positive criticism is in that same group of speaking positively. My parents invested tons of encouragement in me and it has taken root, grown and produced fruit. Let me share a current example of positive words taking root in me. A friend of mine just told me last week when I answered her phone call that she wanted to start calling me Becky Who is Blessed.  She said she wanted to encourage me that God loves me and will provide for me and because those things are true...I am blessed. Now if I don't respond to that by being strengthened and motivated in some way then something is really wrong with me.  haha!  Anyone who gets a word like that would 99.9% of the time walk away standing a little bit taller, see the world as a little bit smaller and view their obstacles as a little less daunting.

I totally know that I'm not the only blessed person. duh! All of us who are God's people are blessed just to belong to Him.  I know that's alot of church-y wording, but it's true. God is King....the Creator of the Universe and if we choose to be fully on His side, believing in His Son Jesus Christ, then we are blessed simply because we are His. All that to say, my friend's encouragement has really taken root in me for the better. She probably doesn't even know that yet. I have really been encouraged by her quick greeting  when she called me the other day.

So, now here's the question part I'm asking myself AND all of you.  Are you ready??

What words are we going to sow this week?  What words from God's Word have we let be planted in us this week so that they can grow in our hearts and minds strengthening us for life's challenges; allowing us to know God's amazing grace, His power, His sovereignty, His hope, His peace a little bit more?  Will we see words as more than a means of communication?  Do we give any weight to what we say?  Are you attempting to plants seeds of hope, life, love, kindness, truth, grace, patience, peace, gentleness into people's hearts?  I'm asking myself these things too.

We need to be daily aware that we WILL reap what we sow.  It has been proven throughout all the history books, in non-religious and the Holy Bible.  What we put into something is what we'll get out of it.  If we invest a bunch of negativity and condemnation in our words to our family and friends, we will not get much true help from them in return when we find ourselves down in the dumps or struggling.  If we build up our family and friends each day and pursue to speak words of encouragement and life into their daily routine, there will be a return someday of kindness from them.....maybe not directly to us, but it could provoke them to pursue a lifestyle of speaking kind and uplifting words to those in their life.  It's so neat to think that we all have the opportunity to be a tiny part of a positive change in someone's perspective of life and perhaps even their perspective of God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you all.  Get Real, Women!  Rise up, shine and speak words of life to all you meet and I will pursue to do the same!