Author: zalouk webdesign used under creative commons license[/caption]Words and language are very much a part of our lives. If we learn nothing else from our English Teachers, we should learn that words have power. Whether our language is English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Farsi, Arabic, Norse, or even Sign Language. The words we use are powerful. Words can inspire us, they can make us cry, make us laugh, they can be prophetic and passionate. AND they can defeat us; they can be used to enslave ourselves and others leaving scars on our souls.
As a child, I was called "stupid" and "good for nothing" by a woman I barely knew- the daughter of my baby sitter. I can still see her scowl and the incessant ridicule despite protests from my father and even her own mother.
Stupid. good for nothing. idiot. failure.
It hurts to see them written down on the page. Hear them often enough and you come to believe them. They can become painful scars that remind you not of the joyous days of youth, but of shadows.
Sadly, this story is not unique. Everyone has, at some point in their lives has been called a name or knows someone who has.
Recall with me the children’s rhyme: “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Well, it’s a load of crap. It's become a hollow cliche' we tell our children in the hope that if they recite this mantra, it will immunize them against the taunts, the labels, and the pain that goes with them. The reality is words do hurt. The Old Testament prophet Elisha was called "baldy" by some boys and it hurt him so much that he sicked a bear on them, killing 42 (2 Kings 2:23-24). Needless to say no one dared call him baldy again. I can't say I approve of his response, but it does illustrate that no person, not even a prophet of God, is immune from ridicule.
We have heard things and maybe even have said things to that can never be taken back.
When we say that something is “gay” we are saying that something is unworthy of our attention, it’s ridiculous, it’s stupid. And it doesn’t just stop there. There are racial and cultural slurs, gender slurs like wuss or "the one that rhymes with witch". Choice and directed words bully, isolate, and can even contribute to suicide.
The Letter to James tells us that we also have the ability to choose our words. We have the power to praise or to curse. What is clear, not just from James, but from the very beginning of creation, we are all created by God, that we are created in the image and likeness of God, that in the beginning of Creation God saw all that God had created and said it was VERY good.
Thus when we see one another, we see an image of God. When we speak of one another, we speak of an image of God.
So it doesn’t matter if you are Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, or Transgendered, or Straight, the reality remains – we all bear the image of God. And we are all deserving of dignity, respect, and God’s love and forgiveness. that words have power.
As Christians, when it comes to the issue of human sexuality in the life of faith and in the Church, we can argue and debate this issue along lines of Biblical interpretation, established Church tradition, and traditional family values. In the end, we will likely agree to disagree on any number of points.
But what is not up for debate is the inalienable truth of their very existence as human beings, fully deserving of dignity and respect. From a faith perspective, all people are recognized as children created in God's image. And we are called to honor the essence of the Creator within every person. We all sin. We are guilty of any number of multitudinous faults and shortcomings.
But we are also wonderfully created and called to use the power of words to build up others, lift up others, or move others higher than they were. Those are the words we need to find and use in life. Let us all be honest, we all love to be around people who build us up and make us feel good. Think now about someone who is uplifting every time they speak to you, I am sure that someone has come to your mind.
Now think about this: do you come to other people’s minds when they think about people who speak positive words into their lives? Are you using the power of positive words? Are your words ones that lift people up higher than where they were?
I believe people judge us by the positive or negative words we use when we speak- if you gossip and put others down or if you encourage, your words make a difference.
They have power.
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