WORDS

Life and death is in the hands of God.

But they are also in spoken word. The spoken language is as natural to man as anything, unlike the written word, which must be learned. But when people are deprived of the spoken word, of the love that comes out through speech, their lives spin down an irreversible spiral of blackness leading to death.

You may say that isn't true. Words don't matter.

You'd be lying.

They do. Oh, they do.

It has been seen numerous times. We see it best in severely neglected children, such as Danielle , a girl so neglected that she could only communicate in grunts. Her eyes were distant and vacant. No one had spoken to her; she could not speak at all, despite having a mother and two adult brothers. Or the baby primates who, despite the fact that they were starving, crawled into the comforting arms rather than taking food from mechanical arms.

We see it in the babies in Romania, who died or were irrevisibly damaged from being left in rooms or in cribs and subjected to only the basic necessities - but received no love or affection or words of affirmation.

Words are everything. A negative word, a positive word. Both can uplift or depress. The way they are spoken - I love you said harshly means something different than I love you said lovingly and gently - also matters.

I made a vow today that I would speak more positive, uplifting words, as much as possible, words that give life instead of death. It will be a hard change, but one that will be worth it a thousand times over.

If I do not do what I know is right, if I am not a light in my little world, who will be? If not me, then who? If not now, then when? If not here, then where?

All people have are their words.

Who else will make such a vow, and keep it?

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel