The Power of Words

“The power of words is only as strong as the actions behind them.” “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matt. 5:33–37). If I hear another person say, “I swear to God,” I honestly think I may scream! As soon as someone says that they swear to God, I honestly lose all faith in what they have to say. Why, you ask? The reality is a liar always works harder to lie than a man of truth works to be truthful. You see, when I speak truth, I don’t need to think about it. It is truth simply because it is. There is rarely a need to recall what I have said in the past (except for memory loss) in order to insure the story I have told today matches the story I told the last time, or was it? Wait! I need to work this out, just what did I say? Uh-oh, I’m confused, can’t let on. I might be found out. I know, I’ll raise my voice, I’ll sound more passionate, and I’ll even swear to God. That will convince you I am being honest! Sound familiar? I daresay we all know people who do everything they can to make the truth fit their particular situation, need, or desire. However, who do you know, no matter what they say, you just know they are being as honest and truthful as they can possibly be? These are the ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ people; these are the people we desire to emulate. I can remember back some twenty-five-plus years ago, I had a very successful service company that specialized in mobile homes. Our business became so successful I was constantly overbooked and always juggling to make everyone happy. I fell into a very bad habit. I began to use words like “try,” “maybe,” and phrases like “I will do my best.” In the beginning, the result was simply longer working hours, rarely under twelve, and more like sixteen hours a day. When the hours ran out, the frustration of my clients began to boil over and weighed very heavy on my mind. I could not understand (in my young foolishness) why people were mad at me; after all, I did say, “I would do my best,” or “I would try to get to them,” or “I may be able to make it,” not that “I would.” My frustration was mounting as fast as theirs, and things were quickly overwhelming me to the point of wanting to give up trying. That was when a dear friend pointed out to me the cause of my frustration—my words. You see, I wanted to make everyone happy, and in the process I was making everyone mad. Why? Because my ‘Yes’ was not ‘Yes,’ nor my ‘No, ‘No.’ I realized no was not a dirty word, and yes was a binding one. When I began to walk in the truth of the power of our words, in particular my own, that was when life began to become much less stressful, and my reputation began to change. May I encourage you today to think long and hard about the promises you make and the words you speak, and let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and may you not be afraid to say ‘No.’ Everyone will respect you more. † Father, I pray for the wisdom to speak in honest truth at all times, and may I never have need to convince anyone of the condition of my heart. May it always reflect You. Amen.