words have power

How does heaven assign worth to our sounds?

It comes down to this:

 

If what you say or do becomes memorable to another in times of need,

an ally are you then considered by the gods.

 

                               Hafiz

____________________________

 

words, Words, WORDS

 

words are everywhere

they escape from our mouths, sometimes unbidden

they flow from our fingers and pop up magically on our computer screens

and then, magically again

on our Facebook pages, and our Twitter accounts

 

sometimes

more rarely these days

they are scribbled (in my case rather illegibly)

on paper

 

words have energy

oh, yes they do

 

whether they are the words we throw out into

the space around us

our whether they are the words that bounce around

in the space inside us

 

words have energy

power

 

God’s words brought this earth into being

with all its beauty and complexity

 

Jesus is God’s ultimate expression

The Word rings loud and clear

“I love you”

 

The sibilant sounds of the serpent

created doubt, distrust and longing

 

and showed that words could unravel creativity and love

 

we see the power of words

as leaders speak

and draw out of the people good, or ill

stirring our darker angels, or waking up our better angels

 

dividing or uniting

helping us be our best selves, selfless, compassionate, and kind

or drawing out the dark side of our souls,

revealing fear, racism, and anger

making us greedy and abusive

 

My words, your words too have power

So today I am reminded to use my words carefully

 

there is enough darkness in this world

people are hurting

they are stressed and depressed

 

even those bright souls among us are flickering

in this time of pandemic and uncertainty

as our society unravels

 

torn apart by words spoken with malice

 

the seeds of destruction do not need to be nurtured by me

 

instead, let me speak words that lift up, and encourage

let me speak words of love

 

may my words be something people can cling to

in a dark moment

 

“I love you

I am proud of you

You are amazing

Thank you for who you are

You can do this

You are valuable

God loves you

You are accepted, just as you are”

 

May no one leave my presence, this day (or any day)

diminished

 

but may they leave affirmed,

calmed

loved

 

by my words