Words may not seem like much -- little puffs of air that seem to vanish as soon as they're spoken. But they have a subtle power about them, a power to linger on long after they're uttered. In fact, the Bible seems to indicate that words are irrevocable. That once they are spoken -- for better or for worse -- there is no taking them back. Some of us still remember hurtful words that were spoken to us or about us long ago. Or alternatively, we remember words of hope and encouragement spoken to us that changed the course of our lives.
We see this principle at work in Genesis 27, when Jacob steals Esau's blessing. To be sure, there is great cultural distance between us and the ancient Hebrews, but the message here could not be clearer -- once Isaac has blessed Jacob, he cannot go back and bless Esau instead.
So give thought today to the power and permanence of your words. The way that you name people, feelings, and situations has a strange way of causing those things to actually become so. And once those words are out there, there is no taking them back.
