Credibility

There has been a wee stooshie growing in the UK, as the main political parties tried to agree a very difficult piece of law. The Lord Leveson report on media freedom while protecting individuals who have previously suffered at the hands of the press, will not happen again. At least that is the aim.

A number of years ago, I heard a minister on the radio describe himself as a ‘wordsmith’ and the term has stuck with me ever since. The one thing we all have in common, whether politicians, doctors, pastors, or ordinary people like you and me, in their day to day dealings, is words. With our words we can build up or bring down our fellow human beings. We can encourage, or discourage. We can heal or bruise. Sometimes we use the wrong words by mistake, and when that happens we bite our tongues, say sorry, and usually the thoughtless words are forgiven and made right. Sometimes, however, our words are deliberately chosen to make a point, and no matter what other words are used to mitigate them, the marks are left behind.

I am reminded of the dad who was trying to teach his son to be careful with his words, and to make the point, he hammered some nails into a tree stump, and explained that with the love and forgiveness of God, the nails can be removed. To explain that point, he took a tool and removed the nails from the tree stump, showing how God can help us make things right. His son thought for a while and in innocent wisdom said, “but the marks are still there”.

A certain generation will remember the Bee Gees, and their song ‘Words’ which has this line: “It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away”. My point?Let us all be careful with our words, and not only that, but how our words are spoken. We are all required to be ‘wordsmiths’ to encourage those we meet. As the Psalmist said:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 KJV