Power of Words

Words are powerful.

I've often wondered if James had been decimated by someone's words when he wrote 'be slow to speak, quick to listen' . Maybe he remembered how he had 'sizzled' someone and winced a bit as he penned those words.

I'm reminded about the 'power of words' once again during this campaign season. A candidate has a friend, an acquaintance. That friend has a documented radical past. Words are hurled. Inferences made. 'If the friend has a radical past then the candidate must be sympathetic to that past - don't you think?'

And people buy it. You betcha they do.

Words. Use the right ones and you can push just the right buttons to get people to do just what you want them to do. Let's push the fear button. Watch the people squirm in their seats. Let's push the race button. Watch the people recoil into their prejudice. Push the 'used to be radical button' and watch people make the easy leap to 'terrorism'.

It's wrong. It's wrong. It's wrong.

By any standard, it's wrong. If we claim to be 'Christ followers' how can we allow words that wound escape from our mouths. How can we allow wounding words to go unchallenged?