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?