"Help, I’m talking and I can’t shut up!” I know others who are just as rich in words and poor in tact. Do you know anyone like this? Maybe you can be hopelessly caught in this word-filled vortex that leaves us talking before we think and suffering from an extra-wide load of way TMI (too much information). It’s like the old adage, “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you’re a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Our world is filled with words and folks use words to further their cause for better or for worse. World leaders twist the truth and deceive with doublespeak. A creatively placed insinuation by a national leader can lead to military conflict. There are people who abuse words in order to take advantage of vulnerable folks. Politicians and the cable news talking heads can use debates and opinion to show just how much we have lost the art of debate and the pursuit of knowledge. Our words have power, for they can give life and death, hope or despair, joy or sorrow. We can heal with a simple word of apology and destroy a relationship with a mere rumor. We have been given the gift of choice as to how we use or misuse our words. We can speak with our actions or inactions. We can have body language that speaks louder than any words ever could. Our eyes can open the window to our souls. “Keep your words tender and sweet - for tomorrow you may have to eat them.” I use to have a framed picture in my office that had those words, I called it my Wall of Wisdom. I readily admit, I too - have used words foolishly in the past, opened my big mouth when I was mad or felt I needed to speak up about this or that injustice in the world. Did it get me anywhere? Probably not - but might have made me feel better by getting it off my chest. Did I hurt someone? Without question. Am I sorry - definitely. Is it too late? I certainly hope not. I personally believe we are living in the last days of this old world as Christ's words about the 'end times' are being fulfilled like scrolling down bullets on a power point. These days - call for a serious awareness of how our words can build up or destroy people, or build up and destroy the church. I have seen polluted minds, hearts, and cultures spew thoughtless and destructive words. Even when we try to be politically correct, our best intentions can create the opposite effect. We should treasure our gift of communication as a sacred trust between a loving Creator and the people of this world. We need to learn to let our lives speak so that our words and actions are a symphony and a complementary witness to love, peace, and hope, lest our lives become a contradiction in terms. Let us learn the gift of silence when the absence of words might actually allow God to get a word in edgewise. Let us celebrate the spoken word of love through the sounds of laughter, the articulation of mercy, the phonics of compassion. Let us choose our words wisely and realize that humility and love will always be the best way to begin a conversation. Finally - I must reiterate - words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation. Don't use them to bully. Don't use them to beat someone who is already down. Don't say things in a moment of anger or rage and live to regret those words every minute of every day for the rest of your life. For you never know when one little word is all it could take to push someone over the edge who is struggling day to day just to live through another one. Try a little gentleness. Try a little kindness. I love the quote: "Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle" - by T. H. Thompson. We'd live in a kinder/gentler world if everyone could just try to be mindful of that and do it every now and again! I know it's easier said than done sometimes but that is no excuse! Kids back in my generation were told, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything!" And...if you don't feel like being particulary 'nice' - try SimplySayingNothing! You could be surprised by what a little sincere silence might actually accomplish. Afterall, silence is golden. ~ Remember...life is not measured by the number of breaths we take ~ but by the moments that take our breath away. ~ Cindy "Lu" - aka - courtneysmum