The Most Powerful Weapon You Have
Words.
Quite possibly the most powerful weapon in our arsenal as human beings, and the most carelessly used.
When I think about weapons, I immediately think about safety. There are countless classes on gun safety. We teach our children from a very young age about how dangerous knives are, not to play with knives, and to be very careful around knives. Yet for some reason, we are not as proactive when it comes to teaching our kids about the power of words.
Words have the power to heal or to hurt, to kill or bring life, to build up or tear down. Words have the power to change lives for the better or destroy lives altogether. So why don’t we treat words with the respect that they deserve?
My grandmother lived with us when I was a kid. She was the first best friend that I ever had. She took me to McDonald’s every Saturday morning. I watched Dallas and Falcon Crest with her every week while she combed VO5 through my long hair. I would go and lay in her bed and watch Good Morning America with her while she got ready for work in the mornings, and then she would turn on Lassie for me when she left for work. I loved her more than life itself, and I knew that she loved me just as much.
When I was in fifth grade, I lost my grandmother, my best friend, to suicide. Sometime during the days afterward, I overheard a conversation between my parents and my foster brother that lived with us at the time. My parents were expressing concern for me and wondering how I was going to handle such great loss at such a young age. I can still hear my foster brother’s response to them just as crystal clear today as I did back then. He said, “You don’t have to worry about Melanie. She’s the strong one.” In that instant, my entire identity was shaped forever, and I had no idea that it was happening.
I was the strong one.
From that moment on, I knew that I could not break. I could not lose it. I was the strong one. I had to keep it together. That was my job. That was who I was. Or at least, that is what I believed.
Fast forward many, many years. I was sitting in my counselor’s office, and she asked me a question that turned my world upside down. She looked at me and asked, “Why don’t you allow yourself to cry?” What? What is she talking about? Of course I cry…don’t I?
The truth is...she was exactly right. I physically could not cry in front of people. Of course, I cried when I was alone, and I would tear up from time to time if I was moved by worship or a good Kleenex commercial. I would also cry during certain movies or things like that, but I absolutely could not cry in front of people if it was related to me being hurt emotionally. I simply could not do it, and I had no idea why. I had to do a lot of digging through a lot of uncomfortable things to finally discover that it went all the way back to that one conversation that I overheard as a kid. Those words that my foster brother spoke about me all those years ago had controlled my beliefs about myself for my entire life up to that point.
He wasn’t being mean or malicious when he said that I was the strong one. He was being honest. He saw great strength in me and wholeheartedly believed that I was going to come through that period of loss just fine. He certainly did not mean that he thought that I had to carry that incredible load on my own or that I had to carry the rest of the family through that time of pain and grief. But that is exactly how I took it. His words had power, more power than he thought possible I am sure.
The same is true for you and me. Our words have power. They have more power than we could possibly imagine. We should not be surprised by this.
You don’t have to read very far into the Bible to see the power of words. God spoke the entire world into being with just His words (Genesis 1:3). The Bible tells us that at the very name of Jesus every knee shall bow (John 18:6, Philippians 2:10). The apostles were able to heal and cast out demons by calling on the name of Jesus (Mark 16:17, Luke 10:17, Acts 16:18). Our words have power, and God intended it to be that way. What we must remember is that, in the words of Voltaire (or Uncle Ben if you’d rather), “With great power comes great responsibility”.
We have a huge responsibility to use our words carefully and intentionally for good. As believers, we have agreed to be ambassadors for Christ and light-bearers in this dark and broken world. There are plenty of people throwing their word grenades around carelessly, completely blind to the death and destruction they are causing. The world does not need us to join in those games. Our world right now could use a little more life and light. Our world needs more people who choose to wield their words for good. We need to be a people that build up and encourage. We need to be people that love with our words above all else.
This is not a difficult or time-consuming task. Start with one. Decide that you will open yourself up to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to speak life into just one person every day. It could be someone that you know or a complete stranger. It could be as simple as complementing the cashier at the grocery store on her hair or her nails. It could be as simple as looking someone in the eye and saying, “Thank you.” I know that doesn’t sound like much, but you would be surprised at how much a person’s day can change just from realizing that they have been seen by someone. Letting someone know that they are not invisible is incredibly powerful and potentially life-changing. It may not mean much to you, but God knows exactly what His people need each and every day. If you are willing to open yourself up to be used by Him, you could begin to change the lives of ordinary people all around you whether you realize it or not.