So I think I have talked about relationships and marriage enough for a while, although I am sure it will come up again in the future. A number of books I have read recently have touched on the power of words, and how we use them. This has led me to re-evaluate the emphasis I natural seem to place on actions over words.
While I like to consider myself a man of my word, I have always been more concerned about actions than words. I usually take an approach of: "well that sounds good, let’s see what actually happens." I am not sure why that is, I am unaware of any specific reason when growing up that would have discouraged me from fully valuing words. But I recognize that I usually lack a deep trust of what other people say, especially if it in any way conflicts with what I observe from their actions.
As for my words, I usually consider myself to be very careful when I speak, in regards to the accuracy and truth in what I am saying. I have been starting to realize that I may need to consider being more careful in regards to sensitivity and the effect that my words have on other people, beyond just how technically correct they are. How the things that we say are received by those we are talking to is an equally important half of the communication process. As someone who is accustomed to being "right," I can defend nearly every statement I make with: "Well, it's true." But since I rarely take words to heart with the same level of depth as most others do, I am less conscious of the emotional effects they can have. But words have meaning, and that makes them significant.
While I like to consider myself a man of my word, I have always been more concerned about actions than words. I usually take an approach of: "well that sounds good, let’s see what actually happens." I am not sure why that is, I am unaware of any specific reason when growing up that would have discouraged me from fully valuing words. But I recognize that I usually lack a deep trust of what other people say, especially if it in any way conflicts with what I observe from their actions.
As for my words, I usually consider myself to be very careful when I speak, in regards to the accuracy and truth in what I am saying. I have been starting to realize that I may need to consider being more careful in regards to sensitivity and the effect that my words have on other people, beyond just how technically correct they are. How the things that we say are received by those we are talking to is an equally important half of the communication process. As someone who is accustomed to being "right," I can defend nearly every statement I make with: "Well, it's true." But since I rarely take words to heart with the same level of depth as most others do, I am less conscious of the emotional effects they can have. But words have meaning, and that makes them significant.
As for the connection between words and their meanings, I am not such a fan of the post-modern idea that those accepted definitions or relationships are all relative. Things have names for a reason, and while there may be limits to how far you can read into that, they shouldn't be changed arbitrarily. There is significance to the meaning of words, and to the things we say, especially when you view it from a spiritual perspective.
Interestingly, saying or professing that you believe in Jesus is usually regarded as a more significant aspect of Christian faith than the actions that should result from that. I definitely default to valuing the reverse, but that may not necessarily be a good thing. I usually take the James 2 approach of "show me your faith apart from your works" to justify that method of evaluation, but words have meaning and speaking them can be an action.
I am clearly not an evangelist; I just don't have the outgoing personality to converse easily with strangers. I also feel a much stronger calling to help existing Christians grow and explore their faith than to share with other people something they may not even be looking for. That combined with my analytical approach to things seems to place me firmly in the office of teacher. While that seems fairly clear, I am not sure how it is supposed to effect what I do on a daily basis. But that doesn't mean that my faith has no effect on the lives of non-Christians around me, I am just not very vocal about it. "Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words" is a quote that I hear thrown around, although a little research reveals that no one really knows where that came from. I usually use that type of idea to justify my approach to "sharing my faith," but that works both ways. What if it is necessary to use words? I am not always able to provide the words I'd like to in those moments. Sometimes it just flows, and sometimes it doesn't. I have no idea what the difference is between those situations, besides God.
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