Words have power. I also believe that the absence of words can be equally powerful in the shaping of a man and those around him.
Words can bring life. Words can cause death. A new argument that I would like to make is that when we as men do not speak, our silence can have the same effect– life or destruction. Life is breathed through our words of affirmation and love. Destruction comes from angry words, hastily spewed at those surrounding us.
The tension is, in either our lack of personal experience or our fear in making a fool of ourselves, men often remain silent. The lack of words that come from our mouths can have an equally devastating impact on those around us. I have coached at the high school level and one of my players made an exceptional play. He had been working hard all game and when he came to the bench I told him how proud I was of him. He responded with “I wish my dad would say that.” I cannot imagine that his dad is not proud of him, but his silence leaves his son in doubt, longing for the words to be spoken.
Did this young man’s father not experience those words growing up? Were there things left unspoken in his young life that led to this generational silence? Or perhaps there was an assumption that his son knows he is proud of him and it does not need to be verbalized. There is power in speaking these great words of acceptance and love to other people. There is an equally negative power in remaining silent and not letting those around us know that they are loved, that we are proud of them, that we value them as people. Words matter–the words we say and the ones we fail to speak.
Where are you being silent when you need to speak? Who could be empowered, encouraged and strengthened through your words today?
Sean Wilson
A Man IN Action
Northview Christian Church
