Words, words, words, we hear a lot of them at this time of the year. A lot of people are wishing us well, but not everyone. Have you heard some unkind or impolite words lately? I have, and you may have too. I might have even said some of those words, how ‘bout you?
How many who read this actually play Scrabble? I love to play it, but rarely do I find someone who shares my enthusiasm about it. A couple of the rules in Scrabble are that you cannot use the dictionary, and you are not allowed to use proper names.
God gave us good hearts. If we understand that truth, the logical conclusion is that we should speak good words, encouraging words, helpful words and words that demonstrate Christ’s love in our life. How often do we do this?
You might know the phrase, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” This phrase is inscribed on the James Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue and 32nd Street in New York City. This was never the motto for the postal service. It was merely a phrase the architect of the building admired and thought appropriate, maybe it was wishful thinking.
On October 14, 2003, millions of Chicago Cubs fans wept. They saw a stellar season go down the drain. Two things happened in the fatal 8th inning of the Cubs vs. Marlins game that night in Chicago. The first bad thing was an uncaught foul ball hit into the left field stands. The other bad thing was an error by the shortstop (Alex Gonzalez) which gave the Marlins the chance to score many times that inning.
“I could feel her listening with all her heart … and it felt good.” That may be a paraphrase but those or similar words came from the main character in the movie “Because of Winn-Dixie.” Listening is so very important, are you a good listener? You should be.
Gossip is a killer. I know I partake in it in some way because, like most people, I don’t know where the fine line between fact and gossip exists. Over the years, people have come up to me and said, “You know about so and so, don’t you?” More often than not, my reply has been, “No, I don’t know.”