On a gloomy Monday morning, I walked around work telling people “gosh, I’m just so tired today”, laughing it off as just ‘one of those days’.
It’s so easy to quickly begin speaking the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe in school you’ve quickly made a comment to your friend regarding someone else walking by. During work, speaking in meetings about all the frustration you’re facing. Quickly snapping at your parents or arguing with a spouse or roommate. Living in a fast paced environment it’s easy to wake up and well… say what you feel!
Before speaking whatever comes to mind, it’s important to know the power of our words.
There’s a popular study by Dr. Emoto called the Rice Experiment. In this 30 day experiment, Dr. Emoto used three jars of rice to show how words would affect them. Everyday to the first jar of rice he spoke only a kind “thank you”, to the second jar he spoke the hateful words, “you’re an idiot”, and the third jar of rice he completely neglected to speak to.
The results of the study revealed how impactful words are; to the first jar, the kind words kept the rice white, to the second jar, hateful words caused mold to grow on the rice, and the neglected third jar of rice began to rot. It’s an incredible experience that clearly shows the power every human has in their words!
In school I was never a fan of Science class, but its experiments like Dr. Emoto’s that remind me why Science is awesome; the complexity and mysteries of creation always point back to God, The Creator. To no surprise, the Bible talks about the power behind words as well.
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
Proverbs 18:21 MSG
A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that.
James 3:3-5 MSG
Knowing that words have incredible power over our lives can be daunting. But don’t be overwhelmed, you’ll never be perfect; thankfully we can also apologize or speak life back over the bad things we’ve spoken. I’m thankful to know the power of my words so I can reflect on what I’ve been saying…
Terri Savelle Foy recommends an easy way to evaluate if the words you’re saying are positive or negative. She recommends to begin adding “-and that’s the way I want it” to the end of your sentence.
“I’ll be single forever - and that’s the way I want it”
“I have crippling anxiety – and that’s the way I want it”
“I feel sick – and that’s the way I want it”
“I am unhappy – and that’s the way I want it”
“I’ll never be able to pay off my debt”
“My husband isn’t romantic”
“My parents are mean”
“I’m not good enough for that job”
“I can’t do it”
“This is too hard”
It’s easy to speak the things we feel or what we see, but instead when we speak agreement to the things God says about our situation, are we agreeing and partnering with His strength and the plans He wants for our lives.
I’ve experienced this in my life with anxiety and depression. I had crippling panic attacks for over two years and never saw a way out. While in the lowest of lows, I continued to speak the things I knew God wanted for me. Did I believe what I was speaking? No, not for a long time, but eventually, it became true. Today I no longer experience any anxiety, I am healed and I am completely set free. Thank you God for giving me a healthy future.
itsokaymetoo.com 