Did You Hear Me? 6:3

SOUL-   

     For by your words you will be justified,

and by your words you will be condemned. Matt. 12:37

I'm currently reading the book "How To Talk so People Will Listen" by Steve Brown . I initially picked the book up before a presentation I had to give in front of my class. I struggle with public speaking, and prefer written assignments over oral presentations any day. When I begin speaking,  I start to experience anxiety, which then causes me to forget my material and even basic words. I believe this anxiety is stemmed from the fear of being judged. Yes, I am one of those people who take constructive criticism personally, however, I am working on it. This book not only addresses public speaking, but it also discusses other forms of speaking, such as the power of words, speaking with authority, and winning an argument.

I don't think people realize the power of words. We use speech to convey our wants and needs, our feelings and emotions, and basic communication between each other. It's what separates us from all the other animals on earth. With words, you can uplift a person and change their whole perspective on life or you can drag them down to the depths of blackness. Once words come out of your mouth, that's it. There is no taking them back. In the book, the author discusses an instance in which he lost his voice, I too once had this dilemma. I completely lost my voice for about a week. We take the blessing of expression for granted. I remember going to a drive-in fast food restaurant and feeling so helpless realizing I was unable to order. I wanted to cry and became extremely depressed. I felt so alone. I was limited from performing simple tasks like trying to get someone's attention, answering the phone, and telling someone thank you or excuse me. I realized that I couldn't do these things and it gave me a glimpse into the lifestyle and behavior of a rude person, who normally didn't say these things. I was brought up to have impeccable manners, and when faced with the inability to perform them, made me feel out-of-character. I had never considered the notion that by not saying these words it would also effect me. This is why it's important to express your true feelings, when we lie and falsify our beliefs we are also cheating ourself and not being true to our inner soul. Words and speech are very powerful.

We as human beings rely on what others tell us about ourselves as an "indicator" of the type of person we are. Who we think we are is directly related to what others tell us. If people say we're good or bad, pretty and smart or stupid and ugly, this is what we identify with. This is why it is so important to be very careful with the things we tell children. It will stick with them and help to shape who they become as adults. Sometimes we take out our own frustrations and insecurities on children and this can literally wreck them emotionally. I'm sure we can all remember something hurtful someone has said to us, something that has stuck with you and made you question your character as a person.

This influence is also true of other acquaintances, such as friends and spouses. The old saying many spouses make "I made him who he is today" rings true. Wives and husbands often don't realize the impact they make on their significant other. They don't realize how important they are in the success and failure of their spouse's career and relationship. In closing I would just like to say that words are a very powerful tool, we must be mindful of that. The Power of the Tongue is a nice way to end this section.