The Word On The Street

The Word on the Street

Words are the raw material I shape each day to pay the mortgage, keep puppy chow in the pantry, and maintain a reasonably full gas tank. Sometimes those word duties are exciting and their end result beautiful; sometimes not. I’ve written books I’ve delighted in and books that were a chore. But all told, the books are just a tiny part of the word trade I dabble in each day. Much more ordinary (and frequent) are the functional, practical words that may not inspire anyone but are nonetheless useful to those who are, for instance, seeking to understand the intricacies of a health care plan.

On their own, viewed on a dictionary page, words don’t mean much. But strung together and placed in context, they mean everything. In the right hands, using the right voice, everyday words can become something special.

I considered this the other day as I was reading my Bible. It’s an extraordinary book full of ordinary words. But voice and context (and supernatural inspiration) make the book sing. Its main Father/Son/Spirit character gets most of the best lines, but lesser characters (Moses, David, Peter, Paul) make out pretty well with theirs, too.

And as I was thinking about how much more glamorous it seems to say, “I’m working on a new book” than “I’m working on a two-paragraph bio for a business plan,” it hit me: Jesus never wrote a book. He didn’t even make that many speeches. He simply went about his Father’s business day by day, speaking common street words to the ordinary folks he met. Words like “Your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34) and “I thirst” (John 19:28, ESV) and “A certain man had two sons” (Luke 15:11, KJV).

And every word was perfectly timed and chosen. Rightly spoken and full of meaning.

You and I might not think we’re wordsmiths composing a story—but word on the street is, we are. We’re building, blessing, correcting, comforting, instructing, asking, offering, and probably even offending word by word, sentence by sentence. The real story we have to tell is being written—not in books or speeches or carefully composed paragraphs—but on the most ordinary days of our lives.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

Proverbs 25:11, ESV