The Power of Words

I remember one day when I was pretty young, my mom and I were in the car and she was telling me about the women's retreat where she had been a speaker for a group of ladies.

"For my talk, I decided to share one thing that I've learned from each of my kids," she said. Naturally, the first thing I asked was, "What did you say you learned from me?"

She smiled and looked at me as she said, "From you, I've learned compassion."

As she continued to explain why she chose that word for me, my little soul was quietly glowing. My mom thought I was compassionate! What a lovely thing for a mom to see in her daughter. Little me thought I was just hearing nice things about myself from my mother. I didn't realize until much later what was really happening.

My mom was speaking identity into me. She was telling me who I was, and for years I defined myself by that word, compassionate, and the many other words that my mom (and others) shared with me as I grew up. I've never forgotten that conversation even though it happened so many years ago. 

Do you know what that means? It means it was really important to me. Looking back, I see the power that word had on me. Though in reality, it wasn't the word specifically, but more the decision of my mom to speak it over me. My mom had the power to help me define who I was, and to figure out who I wanted to be.

Why has that long ago conversation been coming to mind recently? It's because I'm realizing that I have that same power my mom had, and still has, in my life. The older I get, the more I realize that my words mean something. I see the same group of kids every day, and I have the unique opportunity to speak identity into them. This year more than any other, I've tried to be very intentional about the words I speak over the students here at the school. I make sure to tell them how much their smile shines, or how I love to see them happy. I tell them thank you for their kindness, their willingness to serve, and for their friendship. There are so many wonderful things I see in each of them, and I want them to know it!

It took me by surprise to find that they were not only listening to my words, but that they were starting to see themselves how I see them. Obviously I am just one of many people who are speaking identity into these students, but I was blown away that my words had any power at all.

God gave us all an incredible power, the power of words. Think about it: we all have the power to make or break someone's day. We can smile and share something kind and good that we see in someone else, or we can be short-tempered if it hasn't been the best day and we decide to take it out on someone else. Or we can simply be silent, and miss an opportunity to be used by God to share some truth and joy.

And the craziest thing about all of this is that it's so easy! It took basically no effort for my mom to explain how she saw compassion within me, and her words have stuck with me for close to twenty years. To this day I still strive to be as compassionate as I can be, because that word is ingrained in my identity. There are other words, some hurtful words, from other people that have stuck with me for just as long. Words are a simple power to wield, and that's why we should take special care to say things that matter, things that inspire goodness and not bitterness.

So let's all be more like my mom today. Let's all pick at least one person in our life to uplift with our words. Because whether you believe it or not, the people around you are listening, and your words have power. So go use it!