Words

Words... People say actions speak louder than words, but then how does that explain that the pen mightier than the sword?

Do not worry, I definitely think that what people actually do outweighs what they say they'll do. However, it makes me think of how we can't take a lot of people seriously (myself definitely not excluded) when they say something.

Let me just go to where this thought comes from for me real quick. In Genesis 27 Isaac blesses Jacob unknowingly. Jacob is a deceitful man, or "surplanter" as his name actually means (we'll get to that later), and disguises himself as his elder brother Esau to get Esau's birthright. So then after Isaac blesses Jacob with his words, Jacob quickly ducks out of there before Esau comes in. Just in time, too, because Esau comes in right after Jacob leaves and says to his father that he's ready to receive his blessing. Isaac at first was confused, and then they both realize what went down, and Esau is pretty upset to say the least. So with all that said, it's verse 33 that stood out to me after Isaac realizes what happens, he says this:

Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.” (NKJV, emphasis added)

"...indeed he shall be blessed." What do these last words mean? Couldn't Isaac just say something like, "Jacob, you sneaky mole-rat! Since you have tricked me, you get CURSED, not blessed!" And then give Esau his rightful blessing? That's what we think of nowadays right? He could just take back what he said, and *BLAM* all is back to where it should be. Well, it didn't work like that back in the day, so why does it sometimes work like that now?

I would say that in today's culture, words are cheapened into watered-down versions of themselves. Some people throw words around like skittles (let's just make one thing clear though: I by no means condone the throwing of skittles. You should eat them) and don't take the merit of the words into account. Many people (myself included) do not think before they speak. This may be caused by simple every-day boneheadedness, an escalation of temperament, or because people don't recognize the value of the words they are saying. The first two causes happen because of human nature. There are ways to help with these two things, but that is a whole other subject that I shall not touch on at this time. As for the third cause, that is what I am most interested in.

Many people, I believe and have recognized, are desensitized to the meaning of a lot of words. Take the word "awesome" for example. A lot of people say "AWESOME!" as just an exclamation of joy or simply to describe something they think is the cooliest. The original definition of this word was, "inspiring awe; showing or characterized by awe" and then the slang meaning is "very impressive." I don't know about you guys, but I see a definite downgrade in the slang definition as compared to the original. A friend of mine showed this hilarious video to me about the difference between "like" and "love," and I cannot think of a better video that fits with this topic. *Side Note* You should check out their other videos because they are pretty good.

I'm not trying to convict those who say "AWESOME!" all the time or those who joke around sometimes and can be serious at other times. The point here is to just get people thinking about words. Here's one little nugget that has kept me thinking: God SPOKE the world into motion, so what do words mean to me if they mean that much and carry that much power with Him?

The WAR

Recently, a dear sister and I started an encouragement war with each other. Let me first explain the events leading up to it before I go into the event itself. We were talking online and I had said something very obscure that no one usually would have understood, yet she did and replied something along the lines of "Holllllla!"

Have you ever had a moment were you realize in the little things how much you appreciate a brother or sister in Christ? Well, I had one of those moments just then and expressed it to her and thanked her for being my little sister. The next lines are where the battle started: 
She replied, "No, thank you!"
I said, "Haha, You can't 'thank you' battle ME!"
*Where it all went down* Her: "Oh it has been broughten"
Two words: Oh. Snap.
Hence, the battle had begun. 

So, we started out with random pictures of "thank yous" and whatnot. It was quite fun trying to find obscure pictures and then make our own pictures to send each other. After a day or two of this, however, we realized that this battle would benefit us both better if it were actually turned towards others as well. This is where the battle turned into a WAR. 

We decided that we were going to encourage others, and the people that we encouraged would count as "points" and whoever had the most points by the end of the week would be the winner. Of course, from the beginning, we both realized the benefit that we would be giving others with our encouragement. Hebrews 3:13 in that NASB states, "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." and Hebrews 10:24-25 in the NIV states, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Yes, we both realized that we would be encouraging our brothers and sisters on to good works and to glorify the Lord more. However, what we didn't realize was how encouraging it was going to be encouraging others. When you think of ways to encourage a brother or sister, you think of why that person actually is important to you. You start thinking of the ways that person is laboring for the Kingdom and you start realizing just how much you've seen them grow over the weeks, months or years that you've known them. So the blessing turns two-fold; both you and the person you are encouraging ultimately get encouraged! As I once heard from a fantastic laborer for God, Tom Short, "If you want to be encouraged, go encourage others! Don't just sit there waiting for others to encourage you!"

That week was a week of glorifying God that I relish in my learning in growth! I realized just how blessed I am to be surrounded by the brothers and sisters around me who are continually growing and laboring for Christ. When we came together to tally up the numbers, yes, one of us did have 2 more "points" than the other. However, the reality was that we both won truly, and that ultimately the Lord was glorified in our competition.

The war is not over, though. When you realize as it's stated in both 2 Corinthians 10 and Ephesians 6 that we aren't making war against flesh and blood but against the devil and his ploys, that is when you realize how great a need it is to encourage your brothers and sisters to continue on in perseverance and in the light of the Lord. Maybe this is just the push you needed to go and encourage others, or just what you needed to hear. Maybe it's not. Either way, I pray that the Lord would bless you and keep you!