I believe that words have power. Every day, we use words to communicate with others face-to-face or through text messages, listen to the words in song lyrics, and read the words posted online or written in books. Words allow us to connect and understand each other as we express our thoughts and feelings, and they also influence whether those connections are strengthened or destroyed.
Since my early childhood, I have had an exceptionally good memory. One might think this would be amazing, but it has its drawbacks. Something random can trigger my mind to seemingly travel back in time to feel the same hurt or happiness I initially felt. Words mimic a song playing on repeat sometimes. Some words painfully left scars, but others were a great encouragement to me. The impact words have had on my life has taught me the importance of choosing my words more cautiously, whether they be directed toward myself or another. I believe that words have the potential to heal, as expressive writing and talking through life's problems can be healthy coping mechanisms. Of course, there are times when the advice of Thumper, the little rabbit in the classic children's movie Bambi, should be followed: "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." Still, we must also realize that when we leave kind words unspoken, we have missed an opportunity, for all of those kind words that should have been said could have made a positive impact. The chances we have to use our words to encourage others, make a difference in their lives, and tell them what they mean to us are limited.
As Christmas is quickly approaching, a special memory comes to mind. It was Christmas Eve of 2016 and I had spent hours designing personalized calendars for each of my grandparents throughout the month of December, yet I had still not finished the calendar for my pawpaw. In fact, I had not even started working on it and part of me was worried about how he might react, because he often dealt with paranoid thoughts about photos. Even so, I felt the Holy Spirit strongly prompting me to make the calendar anyway, so I pushed myself and finished it that afternoon. On Christmas morning, my pawpaw came to eat breakfast with my family. After we had visited for a while, I slipped away for a few minutes and carefully wrapped his special gift. When I returned, I remember smiling brightly as I explained to him that it seemed to me that he was always the one doing the giving and that I had something for him to open. I handed him his present and told him that I had made it because I wanted him to know how much I loved him and appreciated his being my grandparent. The calendar was filled with pictures of us, mostly from my childhood, so he could look at them each day of the next year. The smile on his face and his eagerness to look through the photos was priceless. However, it was not until later that I realized why God must have wanted me to follow through with making that calendar before Christmas Day. The next day, my pawpaw passed away unexpectedly. Although he did not live to see that calendar on a single day in 2017, I understood that it was not about the calendar, but rather letting my pawpaw know how much he meant to me before my opportunity to do so was lost.
I feel that this memory from my life can serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of not allowing the words that are on our hearts to say to be left unspoken, because the future is uncertain. I cannot recall a time in my life when I have regretted sharing something that was on my heart to express, whether it was in face-to-face conversation or in a message, letter, or social media post. Although the impact is sometimes left unknown, I believe that our words carry the potential to either lift or destroy another, and perhaps even make a life-or-death impact on someone's life in some situations. Therefore, I believe we should pay careful attention to the things we say because words are truly a powerful thing—words can be either a blessing or a curse.