The Power of Words

Esau asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?" Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" Genesis 27:36-37

The Power of Words
By Rev. William Dohle

As I kid I remember chanting: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!"

You may have said that too. Perhaps in response to someone trying to bully you or make fun of you. Unfortunately, that statement is untrue.

Sticks and stones may break our bones...but our bones heal. Our bones can mend. We can go about with crutches and medicine and live our lives. Sticks and stones cannot touch our spirits. They can wound only the body. They do nothing to our soul. They do not stay with us forever. And they can be overcome.

But words...words are different weapons. Words, it seem, never leave us. We may have recovered from the fight, but we will never forget what was said of us or to us. Words have a way of coming back around. Of shaping our lives in ways we never expected or wanted.

Words are especially harmful to children. They say it takes a thousand compliments to equal one bad word spoken to your children. As parents, we shape the lives of our children with each and every word spoken. Speak words of compliment and praise and see them rise up and smile. Speak words of criticism and disappointment and watch them shrink back.

The power of words is seen from the beginning, when Jacob steals the blessing of his father, Isaac. Here in this story, we might wonder as Esau did: "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!"

Why doesn't Isaac bless Esau as well? Why does he end up cursing him? Why does he tell him: "You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless you will throw his yoke from off your neck."

Isaac knows his words have power. He's already mistakenly past on the blessing of God to his son, Jacob. Jacob will now become the heir of the promise of Abraham, not Esau. "May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." These words are the same words God spoke to Abraham, Jacob's grandfather.

So the only place left for Esau is to be a servant. A servant to the brother who received the blessing.

We might think how unfair this is to Esau. But we must also remember how often we follow in Isaac's tracks. How often we characterize our own children, pitting them against each other for just a little approval.

"You're the smart one..." "You're the pretty one..." "You're going to be the rich one!"

And each and every word we speak to them will be remembered. If we criticize them, they will feel the power of our words for years to come. If we abuse them, they will carry that hurt throughout their life. But if we praise them and find a place in this world for them and always give them our love no matter what they do, then they will carry those words around with them too.

For my part, I am thankful. Thankful that we have a loving and forgiving Father in heaven who can forgive us for the times we have wounded our children with our words. Thankful that that same God loves us no matter what our parents may or may not have said about us. And thankful that God always stays with us and never lets go. Just as, despite Isaac's blessing, he never let go of Esau.

Heavenly Father, your Word, Jesus Christ, speaks truth to us and tells us that, no matter what, we are loved and cherished by you. Speak your Word into our lives that it may drown out the noises around us and teach us that Word that we might speak life into the lives of others, for Jesus Sake, Amen.