What Your Words Say

What Your Words Say

In 2005, Major League Baseball, mired in the scandal surrounding performance-enhancing drugs, saw some of its players appear before Congress to give testimony. It was a frustrating day for all involved. Many of the players refused to answer direct questions. One noted that he wasn’t there to talk about the past. But if you get subpoenaed, isn’t that exactly what you are expected to do? Another player made a mockery of the situation, pretending not to be able to speak English. Clearly out of their comfort zone and believing that if they just bluffed enough the problems would go away, many of these players lost all credibility with the fans who had held them in such high honor for their accomplishments. These men embarrassed both the game of baseball and Congress.

The scandal reminds us that our words mean something. As a pastor who uses a lot of words to teach and lead my congregation every Sunday, I am acutely aware that it only takes a bit of poor communication to get in trouble. I speak from experience but pray that I have grown in my ability to use words for good and that others would see wisdom in what I have to say.

Proverbs 18:4 states, “Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.” May we use words that are full of wisdom, knowing that what we say, when we say it, and how we say it says a lot more about us than we realize!

Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.

Proverbs 18:4