Men used to walk around carrying nothing;
women went nowhere without their purse.
Now everyone clings to a skinny little machine
that streams millions of words to us every day.
We read and we read and we read.
But are any of these words shining light into our soul?
What if we put our little machine down for a minute
and ask ourselves:
What light does my soul NEED to receive?
What words will actually strengthen me to LIVE?
I can think of a number of places we may find such words:
In a holy book of faith
In song lyrics
In poetry
In novels
In autobiographies
In letters written to us
In teaching we receive from our parents/grandparents/other family members
In teaching we receive at school
In thoughts our friends share with us
In thoughts a partner expresses to us
In ideas a therapist conveys to us
In thoughts we come up with ourselves
So which of these sources of light reach YOU?
It is worth asking yourself.
The answer will reveal a great deal about who you are
and the kind of person you aspire to be.
For example:
If you identify with the words of a particular singer
perhaps it is because you share their vision of life.
What is that vision?
What values and actions are you being pulled toward
as you listen?
If you are strengthened by a particular verse in a holy book
perhaps it is because you want to live up to the ideal those words describe.
What kind of person are you being shaped to be?
What are you being asked to do?
Words not only reach us, they lead us
The words we allow in to our souls have a powerful effect.
They influence how we perceive reality.
They construct our concept of who we are.
They shape our future footsteps.
This is why we must choose wisely
the words we allow in at a deep level.
This is why we must choose only those that shine genuine light.
Some words I have chosen
Here are the words I live by,
that I read aloud to myself every morning.
I offer them only as examples, not as a guide to you.
You will find your own words.
Because I abide in You
every hour of every day,
You abide in me and strengthen me
and therefore I shall bear much fruit, Lord.
…
Jesus said to them,
“The light is with you for a little longer.
Walk while you have the light,
lest the darkness overtake you;
he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.
While you have the light, believe in the light,
that you may become sons of light.”
John 12:35-36
…
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison
to those who are bound.
Isaiah 61:1
Life is difficult,
but I would find it far more difficult
if I did not have these words shining light into my soul.
I hope you will seek out the words that reach you
and lead you to more life!
And once you do,
I hope you will share them with me.
I would love to receive the light you find!
Dr. Hall
PS For more about the power of words to shed light,
please see my previous post:
Are you a writer…but haven’t heard your calling yet?