What are other ways words can create our future?
Thanks again for sending in questions related to our recent sermons this last week. You may remember we talked about the power of words, how they have the power to create or the power to destroy, to use them wisely. James describes our words like the rudder of a ship or a bit and mouth of a horse that can lead us to where we want to go.
It can get us to our destination, can create a different future for us, or, depending on what words we use, can have an influence on what future we end up in. And so we use the example in the sermon of grumbling versus gratitude.
And the more we grumble, the more we will grumble, the more we express gratitude, the more we will bring joy and encouragement, both to ourselves, to others. So the question this week is, what other futures can words create? What other kinds of power do they have? And I would say there’s actually been a good bit of research on the power of words to create success.
So we understand this instinctively as parents.
We need to encourage our kids, you can do it. Go, go, go. And that seems to have a positive effect, but people have actually measured this. So whether you’re a boss in an organization, if you’re a coach of a sports team, if you’re a physical therapist, if you’re a survival expert, they’ve really learned that positive words create more positive outcomes.
So physical therapists really encourage their patience.
You know, you can take another step. You can do it, you can do it. Just one more. You’ll get there. Right?
And those kind of words have an influence on the recovery of their patients. Same in survival situations people are trained for. When they’re in survival. If they have to walk, you know, miles and miles and miles and miles to get out of some wilderness scenario, the right thing to tell yourself is not, you know, just keep.
I mean, you could tell yourself, just keep going, just keep going.
But if you actually set yourself little goals like, hey, I bet I can make it 20 more feet. And then you make it 20 more feet, and you’re like, Yay, I made it 20 more feet. Then you’ll be able to keep going, keep going, keep going. They’ve documented there is a real home field advantage with sports teams.
The sounds of the crowd.
To either encourage their home team or discourage the visitors. Of course, sometimes visitors win. That happens all the time. But there is a measurable difference in the interaction from the crowd and the effect that it can have on games. So words really do have the power to create different futures and in this case, can create success.
So I pray that we help each other reach our destinations and use the power of words to get there. Thanks for the question, and we’ll see you next time.