Words Matter

This past month has had me doing a lot of self-examination. I keep asking myself the same questions: Am I progressing? Am I becoming who I want to be? And the same thing keeps coming back to me.

I am 51 years old, and I am still struggling with my words. That admission is hard to write. I wish I had addressed this decades ago. But the truth is the truth: I am a reactor. I take things personally. I don’t think before I speak.

I spent 27 years in my marriage being defensive and insecure, controlled by words — mine and others’. And I’ve come to understand just how powerful words are. They create heartache. They create love. They fuel depression and anxiety. They build faith and hope. Words matter far more than we give them credit for.

“Words don’t just describe reality — they create it. Choose yours with intention.”

I confess that I struggle with allowing other people’s words to control my emotional state. It’s a pattern I’m working to break. My goals are simple but not easy: use my words wisely, give grace more freely, see other people’s hearts the way God does, and stay silent when I’m tempted to say something harmful.

September feels like the right time to start fresh. It doesn’t have to be January 1st to begin again. Every day is a chance to be better with our words, kinder with our tone, more deliberate with what we put into the world.