WORDS

 

     According to my dear friend Mr. Google, the average number of words a woman uses a day is 5,000. For men, it's 2,000. Wow, that's a difference of 3.000 words! No. I'm not trying to start World War 3 so please don't write a nasty comment on Facebook. Please keep on reading!! I will admit I do know some men who talk a lot as well as women who are very quiet and shy. I was very shy and rarely spoke when I was a kid. It's amazing that I grew up to become a Pastor. I got paid to talk! Today, I hear words all day at my job. Some in English, some in Spanish and some in languages I have no idea what language they are speaking. Russian? French Creole? Urdu? Pig Latin?  On days when I'm walking along the Sunken Meadow State Park Boardwalk, I sometimes feel like I'm in another country. So many different languages! Words are used all day long. They are a part of life, and they are important to everyone.

     Think of it this way also. In the span of 30 seconds, I could walk into my job and give my boss a lot of praise and thank him for everything, then five minutes later I could turn around and curse him out and tell him some very rude and crude things. Of course I would never do that! I can't even remember the last time I used any type of profanity whatsoever. It's just not me! The words that we use can give praise, but they can also hurt others. James 3:5,6 tells us

   Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Verse seven talks about how you can tame all types of animals, birds and reptiles. However, you cannot tame the tongue. Think about that? Birds, dogs and many animals have been tamed by man. But one thing you cannot tame is your tongue. I find that fascinating! Laure owns a pet yellow naped amazon, a parrot named Cracker. Cracker is a very tame bird because Laure works very hard to make sure she is tame. She holds her, pets her and talks to her. This bird is comfortable with her because she has been taught to be tame. If Laure neglected to do this, Cracker would not let Laure hold her and I'm sure if I walked by, Cracker would try to bite my nose off. Cracker can be tamed, but our tongues cannot be tamed. I have also owned birds, and my first bird was a cockatiel. I held this bird a lot as well and she was very tame. I thought she was a he when I bought her, so I gave her an amazing name after my favorite TV show the Honeymooners...Norton! As a kid going to the circus on occasion, I was always fascinated with lion tamers. I always thought those men and women standing in a cage with a lion holding a whip was either really cool or Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs! Think about all the hours that goes into training and taming that ferocious lion to be obedient and not try to rip off the head of that lion tamer.  

     When it comes to words, I also know that we can also misunderstand people or be misunderstood. I know sometimes dealing with the general public, a guest may say something to me, being sarcastic, that I might take the wrong way. I might get offended when their intent was not to hurt me but to just be joking around. There are certain cultures that may speak loudly and somewhat obnoxious in their behavior. I have learned at those times to be "thick skinned" and not let it bother me. I also know that people may misinterpret or misunderstand me. We all know that nobody is perfect. We are all a work in progress!  

     Many of you know and I'm sure you can tell I love to write. It has been a hobby of mine since I'm in 3rd grade. Someday I would love to publish two books. One is a children's book I'm working on as well as a "grownup's" book that I'm also working on! Writing this blog for 6 years has been a great therapy for me. I love words and I love how I can put them down on this blog. I'm sure there might be a few of you who might not like or agree with my writing style and that's okay. Typing my blog on my laptop or at times at the Centereach Library has been very therapeutic for me. I have been able to write about experiences I have had as well as whatever is on my mind. My creative mind is always going and always thinking.

     Social media is also an outlet people use to express their words. When it came out in the mid 2000's, nobody realized the damage it could do to people's lives. Cyber Bullying is now a serious issue in all levels of school up to and including college. You can also include the workplace in that! Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all media outlets that were intended to be uplifting, fun and encouraging. To some people it's the opposite. How many times have we heard on the news about a young person being bullied by a fellow classmate because of a post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Some of the results of this are suicide, murder or even serious injuries. Why? Because of degrading and hurtful comments made to them on social media. Words can hurt! This breaks my heart how cruel people can be. 

     My challenge to all of us is simple. Let's build each other up with our words and not tear each other down with hurtful words. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us:

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.       

With all that is going on in this world with politics, Israel, Woke and our culture, we all need to be edified and lifted up verbally. We need to choose our words wisely, especially towards each other. I have tried for well over 51 years of my life in New York to not have that "New York Attitude" that is, in my opinion, obnoxious and rude. I want the words that come out of my mouth from the pulpit, at work, with friends and while I'm in the public eye to be edifying. Let that be your goal also! Don't allow your words that come out of your mouth be damaging to people. Let the words that come out of your mouth be edifying and uplifting to others!

     

HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK EVERYONE!!