Previously I wrote that words are powerful. After thinking about that statement, I would like to modify it. More accurately, words can be powerful. Words, in and of themselves, have no power. Just because words are spoken, doesn’t make them true. Speaking them louder doesn’t make them truer. Words only have the power we grant them.

Currently words are being tossed around as weapons. Fortunately words cannot cause physical damage. Words cannot kill. However, they can be destructive to our mental, emotional, and social well being, if we choose to accept the words being tossed at us and give them the power they were intended to have. But, we can refuse to give credence to the words thrown at us. We can let them fall harmlessly around us. Ultimately, we possess the power to determine the effect of their impact. In turn, we choose whether to use words as weapons or as balm.  We choose whether to hurl them in an attempt to inflict pain or extend them in an effort to invite peace. Choosing the latter requires tremendous courage.