Why Words Matter

Words have always been a major part of my life.

As a child, I spent countless hours reading; I still do. I also spent lots of time as a student in trouble for talking too much; I still do, if the truth is told.

As an adult, I taught English in the public schools, mostly in grades 8-12. During my last few years as an educator, I taught reading and creative writing in upper elementary. When I retired, I became a journalist for the American Family Association and authored young adult Christian fiction.

So, yes, words matter to me, and even though I utter more than my share of words each day, I try to be very careful of how I speak to others. That careful choice of verbiage stems from the fact that I want to represent my Savior well. I do not want my words to be a stumbling block that keeps others from loving and trusting Jesus.

Now, granted, I fail at that task more often than I like to admit. But even then, I try to be quick to use my words to repent and apologize to others for choosing the wrong words, because I know how important words are.

My lifelong love of words seems to make me more aware of the speech used in our daily world. But I also believe my fascination with language makes me less likely to be shocked by people’s daily choice of words.

It honestly takes a lot to shock me when it comes to the world’s rhetoric. It really does!

But … I am very intolerant of ungodly words spoken around my children and grandchildren. So, I usually just turn off the television and radio, or I simply try to move away from language that completely dishonors God.

As I move away from those words, I shake my head in sadness – but I rarely find myself shocked by the words of those who do not know or serve our Savior. It’s par for the course, so to speak, for those living without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Lately, though, I must confess that I find myself in absolute shock over the curse words used by our elected officials and other people in the public arena.

From the top of national leadership on down to local officials, I have noticed a particularly disturbing language pattern in which the vilest of profanity is used loudly and repeatedly to denounce people, parties, and policies. For the most part, the media seems more than willing (even proud) to share the use of these expletives during primetime, for viewers, readers, and listeners of all ages.

For most of my life, I never even heard certain words whispered aloud, much less shouted publicly from the proverbial media mountaintops. Some words were just taboo, nasty, and dishonoring to anyone who uttered them or heard them in public. During those fifty-plus years, such profanity was considered by almost everyone I encountered as one of the most unintelligent and foul parts of the English language.

Yet now, America has somehow fallen so far as a nation that the highest officials within our government use such vulgar words often and with what seems to be relish. The exact individuals who should represent our nation’s highest caliber of dignity, decorum, and honor are debasing our language to its lowest point in history.

It is no wonder that I have also begun to hear extreme profanity used loudly and often in many other public arenas. Still, I was shocked recently when I heard a group of teenagers throwing such expletives back and forth in conversation in a very public setting, with absolutely no regard for the adults and younger kids standing nearby.

Talk about the trickle-down effect!

Our young people are speaking exactly what they are hearing used and broadcast in official arenas every single day. So, why wouldn’t they feel safe and justified in using these offensive curse words in their daily conversation?

Yes, words have power, but they also have a source. In this case, adults are the source – adults in leadership and authority throughout this nation.

Our children and teens will continue to repeat the words that are spoken and accepted by our leaders. And that is a huge problem for the future of our nation. Is there any hope for America, if this vile language (and the culture that accepts and validates it) is the best we have to offer the world – and our children?

Here is another shocker: I read abstracts of studies written by several modern linguists and cultural anthropologists who believe the ever-growing use of such extreme profanity is a positive trend in language. One study, Profanity Through Time, found at academia.edu, described the use of these vulgar words that were previously “marginalized in formal discourse” as having evolved into a “versatile linguistic tool deployed for humor, irony, or empowerment.”

The Bible begs to differ.

In Matthew 12, we read that humans speak from the overflow or abundance of what is in our hearts, and Proverbs 4:23 cautions us to guard our hearts, for everything we do flows from it. So, with these and other scriptures in mind, I have concluded that the downfall of our language (as evidenced repeatedly by our leaders’ vulgar rhetoric) is much more than a problem with word choice.

America has a serious heart problem. What we put in our hearts today will determine what flows out of our children’s hearts tomorrow. As such, the real question is, will we fill our hearts with more or less profanity?

Perhaps the late Dr. Adrian Rogers best answered the question of “Is it okay to use bad language when it is commonly accepted?” with these words of wisdom:

Regardless of how common bad language seems to become, we are called to be uncommon (Isaiah 50:4). Just as our Creator never changes, neither do the standards by which we should live…and speak. Don’t heap a pile of stones upon future generations. Sustain them with a timeless treasure (Isaiah 40:8).

I completely agree. Let’s fill our hearts with His words and leave a language legacy of hope for future generations of Americans.

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