My Words, My Weapon
By Chaunte Bluford
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” – Proverbs 18:21
When my son Emmanuel was about eight years old, I received a call from his teacher. He got into an argument with a classmate, as he often did, because he liked to have the last word. This particular time the little boy he was arguing with said something derogatory about me. At that point, my son became so upset and said to the boy something like, “that is why your mom is dead.” Unfortunately, the little boy’s mom had passed away and everyone knew this. The remark caused the boy to cry inconsolably in class. It was horrifying to hear Emmanuel would say such an insensitive thing. He was normally a very loving child who loved affection and he made friends with ease. He grew up in the church learning about loving God and others. When my son arrived home, I asked him about his behavior and he continued to justify his actions. He kept saying he was defending me. I’ve told my kids several times, “you don’t have to defend me because those kids do not know me.” After he communicated the problem, Emmanuel got a whooping and a stern warning to apologize to his classmate the next day. I think about this moment often through the years because it became a sore spot in our relationship. I often wondered why he would say such a thing. It was so out of his character. The Holy Spirit reminded me that, “the apple did not fall too far from the tree.” Behaviors are not always learned, some are inherited.
Unlike my son, I have always been a very quiet person. I only really opened up or was my most authentic self around those that were closest to me. As a kid, those people were my cousins, and as an adult, I have a few close friends that get to see the rawest form of me. I learned that being quiet had its perks because being so, I was very observant. I got to know people from a different standpoint. I heard things I probably should not have heard and I saw things they may not have wanted others to see. I got to know a person from the outside looking in and I made decisions and formed opinions about the people I encountered based on my observations. Another thing you must learn about me is I don’t start fights but once I get tired, I will surely finish a fight the best way I know how and that is usually with my words. Since I am so quiet and easygoing, I learned through the years that people saw me as prey. But, like any animal backed into a corner, I use the resources at my disposal to survive my attacker. Those resources were normally my words. I would speak words that cut like a ten-inch knife deep into a vital organ. For me, it caused the attack to end but I would realize years later, for my opposition, my words could linger forever. As I’ve matured in Christ, I’ve learned that my words were a gift from God. He gave them to me to exhort His name and to encourage His people. I had been using my words, my gift, as weapons of mass destruction. I also indirectly taught my son to do the same.
Our words have so much power. The power is unseen but it is a force to be reckoned with because words help set the stage for our future performance. Whether they are words spoken by someone else or the words we speak to or about ourselves, words speak light and life or doom and gloom. We can use our words as a weapon to free others from bondage and cast down imaginations that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God. We can also use them to kill, steal, and destroy the hope, dreams, or self-esteem of others and ourselves. The glorious thing about it is we have the power to decide. The way we speak is a direct reflection of who we are and who we will become and what we believe. It is always wise to pay attention to how we are communicating around others, especially our children. They absorb information like a sponge and they look to us for guidance. Even though some habits or character traits will be passed down to our children without our control, we can still encourage them to speak the words of life. I have heard it said “words create atmospheres” so we have to ask ourselves, “what type of environment do we want to be known for creating?”
Be Encouraged!
