"Words"

A few Sundays ago, Gregg text me on my way to church about some lyrics to a song he was going to use in his Sunday School lesson. Fortunately I was able to find them on the internet on my phone and save it to a location where he could retrieve and read them. I had saved them to my little home screen so I wouldn't lose their location. Since saving these lyrics, they have been sitting beside a little icon of another website that I frequent. The icons look so much alike that somehow I often manage to click on the opposite link of where I'm attempting to go. Every time these lyrics pop up, I re-read them, thinking to myself how well of job someone did in putting all of these "words" together. With these lyrics being read almost on a daily basis since that day, I was reminded of them in a real way yesterday while at work.

A young nurse I was working with, was involved in a casual conversation, along with myself, my boss, and our secretary. Somehow throughout the topics being discussed, it eventually led to our parents' discipline of us as children. It was a fun topic, to say the least.

As we all chatted about our memories of "spankings," etc.... the other nurse piped up and with an obvious change of expression from the laughter she had just been experiencing, made the statement, "I never got a spanking when I was a kid." The disbelief from the other three of us was notable. Then with a far off look in her eyes, she said, "No, my dad always verbally punished me and those are the most hurtful words I will never forget." Needless to say, we were all scrambling to figure out a graceful way to end this conversation and move on about our business. She said that usually after about an hour he would come with his head held low and apologize for the "words" he had just spewed at his daughters. She said "by the time I was 13, I finally told him that it was too late for apologies, those were words that were already "engraved" on my brain." My boss, the secretary, and I all agreed that we were much happier with our "spankings" because that pain was short lived, but the lesson was learned. And we were not left with the ever powerful memory of "strong words."

Sometimes I think we forget how powerful our words really are.....next time you are tempted to go on a verbal rant, remember this.......

"In a hundred different languages
They convey the thoughts of man
They can form a bond as strong as steel
Or break a golden band
They can disappear with one small wave
When written in the sand
Or endure 10000 years in stone
Engraved by God's own hand

Words
Oh their power is real
They can hurt or they can heal
Can't be touched but you can feel
Words
There is strength in every one
And when all is said and done
Wars are lost and battles won with words

Mightier then tempered swords
As they flow from the quill
With every stroke the letters formed
Can breath life or kill
With icy lips and tongues of fire
We burn or bring a chill
But when the truth is told
The rule is gold and universal still

With words.......
Oh their power is real They can hurt or they can heal
Can't be touched but you can feel Words
There is strength in every one And when all is said and done Wars are lost and battles won with words" (This song has been recorded by the group "Heirline" although, any place lyrics are found, there is no credit to the writer. I'm assuming it's Ernie Dawson since he writes most of their music.)