Words...or Labels?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

This is the amazing announcement of the writer John in the New Testament. Can you believe such a thing--the WORD was a person and this person always existed with God? John goes on to tell us that the Word co-created everything with God. Well...that's a powerful Word.

As a writer, words are important to me. I use them to create a story. Selecting just the right group of words to describe an object, or a mood, or a setting adds spice to a story. Spice is good--it changes a dull and tasteless food to a lively and enjoyable one. Sometimes words are so powerful people want to memorize them--like in a song or a poem. Sometimes you don't want to remember them but they get stuck in your head like gum sticks to your shoe. And try as you might to rid yourself of it, it follows you around step by step.

That's often the way it is when someone tries to use words to bully you. Then the words are meant to put a label on you...and its usually a false one that they want to convince you is true. Like someone picking up a jar of crunchy peanut butter and instead of pasting the label that reads "Crunchy Peanut Butter" on it, they smear the label on that says "Mashed Peas." But do the words "Mashed Peas" turn the jar of crunchy peanut butter into green slimy mush? Of course not. The peanut butter is still peanut butter no matter what the label says.

The Word is powerful. Labels...not so much. In my next post I'll write a little story about a boy who got confused because of his name...Joey Sludgedirt.