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Do Words Matter?

Do words matter?

July 23, 2015 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment


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Words have been known to change over time. Does it matter that their meanings shift? What is lost when they do? Put simply: do words matter?

A book I’m reading quotes Maggie Gallagher as having said this:

There is no reason in the world why we — or the law — cannot redefine “cat” to mean “furry, domestic animal with four legs and a tail.” Defining “cat” in this way has certain advantages. It reveals the deep underlying similarities for example between those tow formerly opposite classifications: “dog” and “cat.” Not to mention “gerbil,” “rabbit,” and “guinea pig.”

What is lost in redefining “cat” in this way?

Well, there is one little thing: we now no longer have a word that means “cat.” If we want to speak to each other about cats, we will either have to invent a new term, and hope it will still communicate the full valence of the old word (rich with historic associations and symbolic overtones), or we will have to do without a word for “cat” at all. One might reasonably foresee, without charting all the particular specific mechanisms, that it might become harder to communicate an idea for which we no longer have any word.

Maybe not initially, but eventually you’d be a bit perturbed if I continued to say things like “it’s raining cats and cats” or “cats rule, cats drool.” You’d come to the conclusion that I’m either crazy or confused. If if you joined me in this nonsense and continued to refer to every furry, domestic animal with four legs and a tail as a “cat”, we’d soon all be crazy and confused.

Do words matter?

When we hear this reasoning, it’s simple to arrive at the need to create a new word for the new thing, idea or situation that has come about, instead of lazily stealing a pre-existing term. Why would you want this new term to be confused with the old thing?

Be creative. New ideas = new words.

Let me give you an example of where we have gone wrong.

“Awesome” is not a term for new board shorts, a TV show or band. Nope. There are words for those. Perhaps, “handsome”, “fascinating” or “exciting.”

But “awesome” is a term meaning “extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.” Put simply, it means “to inspire awe.”

If your clothing or the latest album release is extremely daunting or inspiring fear, you let me know — there are psychiatrists to help with those types of situations.

Yet, if you stand beside a thundering lightning storm, or on the edge of a cliff gazing out into the Rockies or the Himalayas… if you watch a baby being born or you observe the redemptive power of Jesus… you may rightfully use the word “awesome” to describe your experience.

You will be justified in describing the situation as “awesome” because it is reflective of God and his mighty power, creativity and beauty.

God alone is awesome.

Your board shorts? We have a word for that — they’re “cool.”

A few more examples

Starving. It takes roughly four weeks to begin starving to death. Unless you haven’t eaten in four weeks, allow me to suggest an existing term: “hunger”. You’re probably just “hungry”… maybe intensely so, but being familiar with the american diet, chances are that isn’t even true.
Love & hate. You don’t “love” or “hate” your new haircut. These words are far too powerful for use on temporary situations or inanimate objects. For believers, “Hate evil, love good.” [Amos 5:15] and note that your “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” [Romans 12:9]
Truth. In one of the most fascinating dialogues ever spoken, Pilate rhetorically asked Jesus, “What is truth” [John 18:38]. While Jesus didn’t answer him directly, I believe that truth was standing right in front of Pilate. At a bare minimum, I will argue that truth is absolute and cannot be relative.
Marriage. Marriage is not something to be thrown away casually with divorce. It is a life-long commitment between two people, publicly united as one through ceremony and privately though consummation, for the purpose of reflecting the Godhead, with the potential of procreation.

Your words matter. Engaging your intellect as it relates to your speech matters.

I close with these words by Alfred Lord Tennyson:

Follow the Christ, the King,
Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the King–
Else, wherefore born?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Speech, Truth, Words

Our golden retreiver, Boo Radley

James 1:25-27 Law of Freedom, Speech and Blessing

March 9, 2012 by brianmichaelsteck 2 Comments


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But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Law that gives freedom. What does that mean? In my world, laws only make things difficult, boring and exhausting. Just think about all the laws that go through your head throughout the day without you knowing it: bring your driver’s license, have auto insurance, wear your seatbelt, don’t speed, obey the traffic signal, use a hands-free device while driving, don’t jaywalk… and the list goes on. And that’s just getting to work!

So how do we understand a “law that gives freedom” when we are constantly confronted with a worldview shaped by laws that confine? First, I have to shift my frame of mind and acknowledge that while the lawmakers who make the rules of the road are fallible and finite, the God of scripture is perfect, powerful and all-knowing. And while both parties may have good intentions in mind for their laws, the latter happens to have hand-crafted each and every one of us, forming us out of His infinite love, creativity and desire for us to be in unity with Him. This helps me trust that the law of freedom has my best future in mind.

Our golden retreiver, Boo Radley
Boo Radley
We have a golden retriever named Boo Radley. We got him from the Humane Society and have had to work out a few “kinks” in him; the biggest of which is his trust and agression. We’ve worked hard to get him to understand that people are not threats and that if he would only stop growling when he’s scared, that he would enjoy endless sources of treats, petting and praise from all our friends. But instead, he grows stiff, stares you down and seems to say “Don’t touch me or I’ll bite your arm off.”

This is so often where I’m at with God. I don’t realize that the intent of His plans, which are laid out in his law, are for my freedom and benefit. I assume that He is “out to get me” and that I need to fend for myself, when in reality that is the farthest from the truth.

They will be blessed in what they do. Again, this is not always the case for us. Sometimes it seems that we get penalized for following the rules. But this is not the case with God. My wife and I have been married for almost 5 years now and we remember being told how difficult the process would be. We heard horror stories of how painful and miserable marriage is and that we should “avoid the ball and chain” if we could. A friend of mine is getting married tomorrow and I heard people giving him similar advice at his bachelor party.

But the truth is that we are seeing God’s plans play out completely different from the world’s plans. We have seen the joy and lightheartedness that comes from living by God’s law. By being honestly (Luke 16:10), we can trust what each other says. By being patient (Proverbs 15:18), we enjoy grace for each other. By encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11), we are strengthening each other. By seeking to serve (Acts 20:35), we are humbled. By honoring the golden rule (Luke 6:31), we are cared for. By stewarding our money (Hebrews 13:5), we don’t fight over it.

We could not have known all this blessing if we did not engage in the law of freedom.

Keeping a tight reign on my tongue. This piece is always a challenge, right? I mean, for some of us it’s about avoiding four-letter words. For others, it’s about sharing information that’s not ours to share or discussing other people when they’re not around. For me, it’s simply learning to be silent.

I catch myself very often wanting to chime into a conversation to add my incredibly interesting, but ultimately self-promoting thoughts or stories. In reality, my contribution is simply to make me feel better. I can guarantee I’ll have a moment today where my conscience will kick in and say “okay, you can be quiet now”. One of my favorite verses on this topic is Proverbs 17:28.

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

To look after orphans and widows. This one is dear to my heart. Our culture has become so complacent about the destruction of marriage and lack of commitment. Men leave their wives and children at the drop of a hat, just because they get tired of the promise that they made. Because of this, countless boys and girls are growing up without fathers. Single mothers are responsible for paying the bills, keeping the house and somehow playing both roles of nurturer and leader in the household.

There are some in the global church that are trying to change that, but in general, the average congregation seems silent on this. My dream would be to see us each come alongside these hurting “widows and orphans” and help fill the void caused by these missing fathers. One great avenue to do this is by connecting with WINGS, a local ministry devoted to helping women and children in need.

Filed Under: Scripture Studies Tagged With: Law, Mission Church, Obedience, Silence, Speech

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