Words, Words, Words

I want the words I say to matter. I want them to be true, to be beautiful, to be weighty even in their frivolity. I want them to carry the wonder of their ability to point to the Real. I don’t want to use words haphazardly, introducing chaos instead of ordering it.

God knows we hear enough words each day. But how many of them really mean something? I’m often frustrated by the deception that passes as “marketing,” by the hollowness of pop lyrics, by the opportunism of political rhetoric. Voices fairly shouting at us from all angles, vying for our attention and blending into whir of white noise. Words, words, words. It’s enough to make you crazy.

I wonder, though, how often I add to the chaos, to the noise. How often do I speak just to hear myself talk? How often do I exaggerate to make myself look better? In heated areas like politics or theology, how often have I simply thrown my opinion out there, regardless of whether it brought any real light into the conversation? I have been just another voice in a choir of dissonance.

This sort of noise, to which I have been a contributor, is a betrayal. It undermines the purpose and potential of words. At the very beginning, the opening scene of Act I, “The earth was without form and void” (Genesis 1:2). Disorder. Meaninglessness. Chaos. “And God said, ‘Let there be light …’” (1:3, emphasis mine). God spoke. He used words to bring order, meaning, and beauty.

As beings created in God’s image, our words carry that same potential. They are meant to bring life. But we misuse them, we cheapen them, and instead of ordering chaos, we make noise. The result is the numbing cacophony we live with each day.

I don’t want to just make noise. I want my words to mean something — not just the words on the page, but even those I speak in casual conversation. Not always elevated, but never careless. To be honest, I’m not even sure how to do it. But I think it may start with unplugging from some of the noise and taking time to really listen. In the quiet, maybe we can rediscover the value of words.

Comments

  1. Pops - November 2, 2012 @ 12:20 pm

    ‘…another voice in a choir of dissonance.’…i wish i would have read that before my bloviating comment on the Vote, Vote, Vote blog…

  2. Kelcie - November 8, 2012 @ 11:49 pm

    “I have been just another voice in a choir of dissonance.” Wow wow wow (I’m with your dad), what is academia if not that? It’s like one of my favorite (and consistently convicting) verses says: “In a multitude of words, sin is not lacking.” Thanks for the reminder.

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