by Rich DuBose
In today’s world of social media, texting, digital word processing, and print on demand, words are easy to come by. Millions of words are thrown at us every day by comedians, preachers, politicians, legal authorities, teachers, talk show hosts, news reporters, celebrities, medical workers, and every-day average-Joes who will never get their 15 minutes of fame unless they shoot somebody.
Our world is drowning in words. Some are hopeful, legal, inspiring, and informative, while others have been turned into hateful, sad, and polarizing weapons.
Social media and smart phones make it difficult to be quiet. I recently heard a podcast where a woman was telling about riding with a friend in her car, and as they rode along the woman passenger was looking out the window off in the distance and not saying anything for a few minutes. At which point the driver finally asked, “are you OK?” It’s not normal for people to be reflective in public. You’re either supposed to be talking or looking at your phone. People wonder, why are you quietly sitting there doing nothing if you aren’t having problems?
When I was a kid my dad operated a Linotype machine which he used to create moveable type. He placed lead ingots into a steaming vat that churned out these slugs that typed words got melted onto. Then he arranged them into sentences and paragraphs by moving them around. The typesetters were the ones who literally built the copy that was to be printed. If you needed to alter a word after it was set, you had to go through a multi-step process. Computer editing was not an option.
The job was tedious, hot, and noisy. I remember going periodically to Dad’s shop when I was in elementary school and thinking how complicated it all was.
A wordsmith is a surgeon who operates on the brains of his or her readers without making any incisions. The publishers are the chauffeurs who move the words into the vehicles (books, magazines, newspapers, and websites) which then get transported to the readers. The destinations we travel to in our minds and eventually reveal in our actions, are where we let the words take us.
Today many works go straight from inception to the readers via websites, blogs, email, or texts.
Solomon advises us to pay attention to the words we cherish and speak.
“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil” (Proverbs 4:20-27, NLT).
Jesus says, “If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23, ASV).
Speaking of God’s words the Psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105, NLT).
Again, he says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11, NLT).
Words are not static tomes. They have suggestive capabilities that can stir us into action. Revolutions have been started with words that inspired hope, courage, and action. Jesus said if you have faith the size of a mustard you can move mountains (mountains of stagnation, stubbornness, obstinance, and resistance). The idea is that small beginnings can lead to monumental outcomes.
Pay attention to the words you ingest, mull over, and publish. Each one is like a missile on a mission to promote good will or confusion. Make them count.
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California |
On the web at: richdubose.com. All Rights Reserved © 2025. Join me on Blue Sky @spiritrenew.bsky.social.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the American Standard Version is in Public Domain and is no longer subject to copyright laws.