We Are More Than Our Words
One of the best aspects of being a Life Coach and Recovery Coach is I get to listen to people speak. I get to hear words spoken and words unspoken. We all do that. We say and we don’t say. After all, we don’t have to be an open book to everyone we encounter. But I get to be with people who share words that are multi-level, multi-dimensional. They use words that intrigue me and make me curious. It’s like being on a pathway of discovery….for me and for them.
Many times, I hear words like, “I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” “I am frustrated as hell!” “I want to do more for her, but don’t know how.” “I have 28 years of addiction and don’t know how to change that.” These words can be limiting, diminishing, and maybe even paralyzing. Words not only have definition in dictionaries, but they can also define us.
What can be wonderful is to help people find words that give them a different perspective, or help them see another way or more options. Sometimes we need to dis-identify ourselves from the defining words that have kept us small, sheltered, alone, afraid, and away from the truth.
Today’s reading from Isaiah chapter 55 reminds us that God’s word comes down like the rain and snow from heaven and “…shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” God’s word is persistent! And true! And life-giving! Maybe these are words that we need to listen to and let seep in and define us instead of the words that limit us and keep us hidden!
Very dear friends of mine shared with me recently that their daughter sang with her father’s band at St. Charles Borromeo Church this past weekend. She sang the song, “I am Not Alone.”
(Here is a link to Kari Jobe singing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfveawSAHJA)
They are soothing words of comfort, a reminder that as we move through our lives, we have a companion who walks with us, reminding us that we have strength! That we are more than our frustrations and fears! That the love we have for another may be enough! That we are not defined by our addictions!
Why not pick words that move us closer to who we truly are! Maybe it’s time to throw away the old dictionary and start using a new one! Maybe we need to go to a Source that sees to the very heart of you and me…and speaks words that are authentic and real. Words that call us beyond the limits of the ways we have been defining ourselves.
