There is an old schoolyard saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I’ve always known very well that the saying was not true. Words are powerful. They have the power to build up or tear down. Unkind words or even labels like “shy” can shape a child’s image of herself and the way she sees herself and the world around her.
As I’ve dealt with the effects words have on me and others, I have learned to look to Jesus. In the Bible, I find that not only is he an example of how to use words wisely, but that he himself is the ultimate example of what it means for words to have meaning.
John starts out his gospel with a profound understanding of the power, not only of words, but of “the Word.” As he perhaps wrestled with how to begin his powerful account of Jesus as the Son of God, he finally settled on something we can all relate with: the power of words. Jesus, he explains, embodies the living word of God, filled with power and authority. The love and truth that Jesus taught echoes down through time and challenges me today. Every day I am faced with the choice of how I will use my words to impact others and what I will do when others’ words impact me negatively. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. But because I know Jesus, the living word, I can continue to grow and look to him to help me. Sometimes it means accepting his healing for wounds that words bring, sometimes it means saying I’m sorry for how I have affected others through my words.
Words have power. But the living word himself has all power. He can help us use our words to bring life.
Dear Jesus, thank you that you are the living word and that you speak life into chaos and pain. Help us look to you today for your words of life. In Jesus name, amen.
Throughout this day: What does the reality of Jesus as the living word mean for how you use your words? What can you do today to live out that reality?
Here is another devotional about the power of words: https://thelife.com/devotionals/the-power-of-words