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.)
TWEETABLE
Great post Andrea. I love Words that Matter. You pack so much into your posts. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Sheryl! :)
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