Welcome Words
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
I like words. I like to read them. Writing them in cohesive sentences gives me great satisfaction. I am interested in word origins plus the different meanings and definitions of the same word. Words are knowledge and power for me. I try to choose my words wisely. Let my yes mean yes and my no mean no. Sadly, I find this easier said than done.
Words can and do get me into trouble or fail me altogether. I have known regret over the words of a hurried text. Email advice or social media posts that are not uplifting should have no place in my vocabulary. My word should be my bond, but many times I have broken promises to hold sacred the words others have entrusted to me. Then I struggle to find the right words when an apology should be forthcoming.
Instead of taking to heart John 6:63, The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life, too many times I choose my own words to criticize and judge another. Not life-giving at all. Unlike Ezekiel who obeyed when commanded to eat the scroll, finding its taste to be sweet as honey, I fear I would choke on those words. Why and where do I resist taking in the Word of God and making it part of me? How can I encourage myself to hunger for His Word? Can I then be generous in offering this nourishment to others in word and deed?
We are called to take into our hearts the words that God speaks to us and let them change us. Hearing the words, really listening to the true meaning, is a constant challenge for me. What is God calling me to take to heart amid our daily overload of words? Can I carve out more time in my day to practice listening to His Voice, hearing that quiet whisper?
As people of faith, we know we can always rely on His Word. God gave us His guidelines in the text of the Ten Commandments and the beauty of the Beatitudes. We have His very words in Sacred Scripture. We are blessed with the Liturgy of the Word in Mass, along with words of enlightenment, encouragement, and advice in the homily. And the priest’s Words of Consecration make it possible for us to feed on the very Body and Blood of our Savior.
Welcoming the Word of God requires not only active listening but also calls us to action. I am challenged to strive harder to be a doer of the Word in practice. What are some ways I plant positive words into the lives of others? Do I leave others the better for having conversed with me? Do my words sow joy and hope, the very gifts I receive from our generous God? As I learn to recognize and welcome the ways God is planting His words in me, I pray I will grow in nourishing others with my words.
A little extra something for you today… Word of God Speak by Mercy Me