I am officiating at my grand daughter’s wedding next month. She is very special to me and I really want to do a good job. I have been working on my comments for the wedding for weeks. Every time I see or hear anything good about marriage or love or weddings, I mentally add to my comments. I know, however, that I need to keep my words few. Attention spans are short.
It’s amazing how wasteful we are with words. It seems we are bombarded daily with more words than ever, yet fewer really meaningful words are spoken. We all admire the person who speaks rarely, but when they speak it is well worth listening. We don’t seem to learn from this but keep dumping out words like a garbage truck at the end of a full day of collections.
We need to learn that words are precious. They provide us with the opportunity to really make an impact and a difference. They have to be carefully chosen and wisely released. Like most things timing is everything. We can’t learn the value of our speech from television or social media. I’ve learned I can’t learn it from my fellow attorneys who seem to believe they get paid by the word.
Here are some thoughts about making our words precious.
1. Think precious thoughts. Our spoken words are just the vocal expression of our thoughts. We need to think on good things.
2. Listen. We have to stop looking at conversation as a competition. We don’t win by saying the most or by being the cleverest. If we are really listening, we may discover that the best “word” is merely a smile and a nod.
3. Pray. When we pray we should be listening to God. He’s got the best words, the ones really worth repeating.
4. Encourage. The purpose of our words should be to lift up others, not ourselves. If we can just remember that, our words will be appreciated and precious, not just to us, but to those who hear them.
Be blessed.
Nick
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