Untrained Words

My name is G. Scott. I write about words.
All kinds. But my favorite? Words about The Word.  

“The tongue has the power of life and death…” (Prov 18:21)

By itself, that’s a mouthful.
It should make us pause.

I’ve seen what this verse looks like in real life. A young lady recently shared her testimony with me about church summer camp.

The day itself was normal. But she felt anything but.
She felt off.
She wasn’t “clicking” like usual.
She didn’t say anything because she didn’t know how to explain it.

It gnawed at her until it became overwhelming.
She built up the courage to finally tell a counselor.
She practiced the words in her head.

“I’m going to sound like an idiot.”

She walked up to the lady.
Stomach twisted.
Face flushed.

“I don’t feel right,“ she stammered, “something isn’t right”

The counselor smiled warmly and put her hand on the girl’s forehead. Then she pressed the back of her hand to the girl’s cheek.

“It doesn’t feel like a fever.”
“Honey, it’s just hormones. You’re getting to be that age. Why don’t you re-join the rest of your cabin and enjoy the day.”

Mature words.
Reasonable words.
Untrained words.

The counselor put her hand on the girl’s back, gently guiding her back to the activity.
The girl walked in silence.
Even more confused.
“Hormones. Really?”

The young lady, now in her twenties, looked me in the eye.

“That was right before I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.”
Without accusation.
Without anger.
“And I’ve never been back to church.”

I met her after her second attempt to take her own life.

Proverbs 18:21 was no longer a verse. It was a warning.
Conviction.
Shame.

I apologized. The counselor could have been me.
Or any Christian.  
I could do better. We all could do better.

My mind raced.
I had been a youth director.
I had been a Sunday School teacher.
I had been a coach for over ten years.
I led teams at work.

Had I done the same thing?
Guilty.

And I began to write about words.

I don’t judge. I have a log in my own eye. (Matt 7:5)
I’m not de-constructing. I’m planting. I’m watering. (I Cor 3:6)

I believe language leads.
Language shapes our voice, our beliefs, and ultimately our actions.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Not a sign.
Just The Word.