The Words I Speak and What They Say About Me

Words can hurt, words can heal. Words can kill your dreams or they can give your dreams feet to run and ‘wings of confidence’ to fly. Loving words. Kind words. Soft spoken words, words of wisdom, words that captivates both your heart and your mind, or harsh words, deceptive words, mean and hurtful words. Words that cuts through you like a scalpel blade with a razor sharp edge or words that hits your stomach like a tightly fist boxing gloved hands. This is an excerpt from an article I wrote in August 2012 called The Power Of Your Words

It is clearly stated, and often times proven that pride goes before destruction and haughty spirit before one stumbles. We’ve witnessed this recently with Donald Sterling, the man whose jealous rage and pride in his skin color compared to that of others, have left him in disgrace.

Slapped with a punishment of a lifetime ban from the NBA and a $2.5M fine,  the disgraced Los Angeles Clippers Owner now awaits his fate from the NBA Board of Governors who is said to vote on whether Sterling will be forced to sell the team.

Race, power, wealth, a young beautiful woman, a billionaire, a pretty face and a racist heart. A story that has rocked a nation and the NBA world and paparazzi left hounding and thirsting for a story that’s complicated, and confusing – summed up in words that has led to hurt, pain, shame, emotional trauma, torment and disgrace.

THE WORDS I SPEAK

In writing this article, I’ve had time to reflect on my own life and words that I speak or have spoken in the past. Do I make racist remarks? No. Am I a racist? Absolutely not! I believe a major part of my purpose and this ministry is to demonstrate God’s love to ALL mankind through both my words and my actions.

Still I must become my own police to keep in check every word that I speak, because every word that I speak says something about me, my character and who I really am as a person. It is out of the abundance of the heart one would speak. We become known by our fruits, a major part of this being words and actions.

Words are extremely powerful! They are like dynamites that have causal and catastrophic effects. The words that I/we speak can change the life of someone for the better or for the worst. Words are like steel, bricks and mortar that have the ability to make their way deep into your soul and can become the foundation upon which someone base their entire life. Words are like rocks that kill or give life.

WHAT DOES GOD HAVE TO SAY?

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other,just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:29-32

Speaking from the heart of God, I would say that all is not lost for Mr. Sterling though. This is not to say that I am condoning what he has done. It is according to the word of God to show that there is hope for him just as it is for all of us who have stumbled or fallen along the way for one thing or another, whether in secret before God or in public before the world.

God resists the proud, but he certainly gives grace to the humble. To find hope, one must begin with humility, a humility that causes us to see just how fallen and broken we are and how much we need God. Sin is sin in whatever form. No matter what it is – racism, a racist comment or even some other comment that is found to be derogatory.

Pride is a false god that many of us whether knowingly or unknowingly practice. It easily distorts our sense of reason and can cause us to think that we are better than others. And while it is true that Sterling’s millions cannot save him or buy him freedom and undo the destruction that he brought upon himself, it is an opportunity for all, especially for Christians to exercise the grace of forgiveness and to demonstrate mercy and God’s love.

We live in a world where love by persons who revere us and put us on a pedestal, would often prove fickle. Truth has also been found in what some have said in the past that, if you want to know who your true friends are, get sick or get into trouble.

So what makes this story so fascinating? I would say it’s another opportunity to not only demonstrate God’s Agape love, but it is time for us to put away from us bitterness, wrath, anger, jealousy, clamor and slander….

WHAT WILL THE END BE?

In an interview with Barbara Walters that aired on Friday night, May 2nd 2014 on ABC’s 20/20, the young woman V. Stiviano who is associated with Mr. Sterling’s tape scandal and who is caught up in the fire storm is heard saying these things:

“There’s been a number of occasions where Mr. Sterling and I had conversations just like this one. This was one of very many. Part of what the world heard was only 15 minutes. There’s a number of other hours that the world doesn’t know.”

She was later asked, “Do you think Donald Sterling should apologize? Her response, “Absolutely!”

Barbara Walters, “Will he apologize?” V. Stiviano’s response, “Only God knows!”

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” ~ Proverbs 18:21

The end is truly in the hands of God.