Words are used every day. Some hold meaning, and some are just swept away by the wind. In both cases, our words act like a sort of currency that humans get the privilege of utilizing.
If words are a type of currency, what is their worth, if any? Can you sell them for actual money, or exchange them like an unwanted Christmas present? Obviously it doesn't work in that way, but looking at words as a currency can change one's perspective on the way letters can impact the world?
Looking at the American culture in particular, words are taken advantage of, as they are thrown down. It is as if they are worthless. It is almost like the words we use have become the equivalent of a credit card. Just like how we spend money more thoughtlessly with a plastic card, our words are being splattered without consideration of the effect in that moment.
Okay, well a credit card can be paid off later, so that means that my words can have some kind of "pay off" later too, right? Not exactly. You see, words are a powerful tool, and are more important than the emphasis that our couture puts on it. To see this, let's look at why words exist.
The first thought would be for communication, and the next would be to express ones-self. What if we take these two purposes that words have, intertwine them allowing communication to collaborate with self-expression?
To start this challenge, imagine that for a week staring you had a word limit of 5,000 words per day. To put this budgeted amount into perspective, take the average amount of words that people say in one day is around 15,000. With a budget of over half of your daily words, communication might become more of a focus.
With this drastic limitation, each word spoken holds much more meaning. To add another twist, the first word that you say of that day is what people will know you as.
With value added, how and would you interact with people and not only communicate generally, but personally as well?
In John 1:1 it says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
This Bible verse directly deals with the importance of words, and the value they hold. Even if you are not a Christian, you can read this verse and recognize that the message here is pointing to how important words are.
If words were not important, then why would God call himself the Word itself? If you are a Christian, you know that the Bible calls you to act like Jesus, but don’t word directly correlate with your actions.
Even with this realization, it is so easy to throw words around as if at our disposal. This translates into muffled communication, which places less of a value on the words. Resulting in a waste of rationed words that could have held meaning, but like is common, took up space as a filler.
Looking back over the Bible,words are referred to several times? Specifically words are instructed to be used to praise and glorify God, and not to use profanity. Not because curse words can’t be expressive, but because they give a certain type of value that isn't always the best. And if value is what we are after for communication and identification, intentional though should be used.
If our words are placing the value we want others to place on us, then maybe our budget can be better spent else ware. Just like if you had a small budget for groceries, in the light of nutrition, you wouldn’t blow it all on Twinkies, because that wouldn’t allow you to live a prosperous life.
Thinking about this has led me to consider the impact that my mouth and writing makes in life; my own as well as others. I have been really surprised to see how the simple building blocks of language can drastically change my day, or those around me.
Words have the power to make our world would be a better place. Especially, if our word currency is considered valuable. It would change the songs that you sing, the social media rants you post, and the words that you speak.
Words hold value every day, so don’t let your limited supply slip away. Stop taking advantage, and re-evaluate how their use can be beneficial. After all, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all."
