The Power of Words

By Andrea Merrell

When I created a website and started blogging ten years ago, I was a total newbie in this unique world of writing, editing, and publishing. Every baby step forward was made with faith that God was leading me down the path He had prepared for me long ago.

Naming my website and blog felt like a monumental task. So many others had beautiful sites with catchy phrases and stunning graphics. It was obvious how much time, effort, thought (and yes, even money) had gone into their web presence. I’d never considered myself very creative and didn’t know how to create a brand. I felt like a kindergartner.

But my love of words kept me going. In the early days, I set up a website on Go Daddy and called it The Word Shoppe. The header was a coffee shop theme with a cute little bistro table and chairs. It seemed to work well, and I was happy with it … for a while.

Someone told me I could create a free blog site on Blogger.com, so I did. Again, I struggled to come up with a catchy name. The name I settled on—or should I say the name the Lord gave me—was Words That Matter. I knew in my heart that whatever I wrote on that site would contain words that were important. Words that were encouraging. Uplifting. Constructive. Words that really meant something. I never wanted to fill up a page with a bunch of fluff and nonsense. 

I later cancelled my Go Daddy site and combined my website and blog at www.AndreaMerrell.com where I post a short devotion once a week in hopes of encouraging my readers. I would love to have you join me. Because to me, words are a gift, and they really do matter. They matter to us as writers, to our readers, and, most importantly, to God.

Proverbs 18:21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue (NKJV). That means as writers—especially Christian writers—we have a huge responsibility to use our words with wisdom, honesty, and integrity. We have the power to speak life or death to those who invest their time and energy to read our books, blog posts, devotions, and articles.

As Chris Tiegreen says “One of the greatest gifts you can give the world is the power of your words. Use them wisely. Build up rather than tearing down. Speak life instead of destruction. Express truth and love. Dispense with mindless chatter; let your words carry weight. Your mouth is an influential force. Use it well, and the people around you will thrive.”

Yes, our words matter, whether spoken or written. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverb 12:18 NIV). Our words can be a blessing or a curse, especially in this age of hatred and political unrest. The choice is ours.  

Andy Rooney once said, "Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them." We never want to live with regrets, especially because of careless words. Choose yours wisely, and bless the world with the gift God has given you. 

I would like to take a moment to personally thank each of you for reading and supporting The Write Editing. Alycia and I started this blog in 2014 as a resource for writers. We have had some amazing guest bloggers, and we plan to bring you more in the future. If there are topics you would like for us to address, please leave a comment and let us know. Thank you for all the shares, likes, and tweets over these past five years. We would love for you to share us with your friends so they can join us as well. Be blessed in your writing journey! 😊

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

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Our words matter, whether spoken or written. We have a huge responsibility to use them with wisdom, honesty, and integrity. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)