Use Your Words


 

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Matthew 2:10 KJV

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. Matthew 2:10 NIV



Words are incredibly powerful. There are many verses of Scripture that make that very clear. While in the desert during his time of being tempted Jesus responds to Satan by beginning all of his remarks with, “it is written.” (Matthew 4:1-11) How and what we write and speak says a lot about who and what we believe.

Do you suppose when the Magi saw the star, the incredibly, beautifully bright star they said, “Ouch! My eyes! Oy vey! That light's a little overwhelming.” No! My guess is that their reaction was much more like, “Oh my God!” in the truest sense of those words. “They rejoiced,” the verse says, “with exceeding great joy.” I'm a word girl and so I prefer the King James version of that verse, “with exceeding great joy.” Not a little celebration, a huge, loud thing that I can't help but believe was exceedingly contagious. After all, I am exceedingly joyful over that same star all these many, many years later.

It is my hope that simply reading that verse will lift your heart because this should be a joyous season and yet, mostly what I hear is how much the people around me have to do. There are daily, or even hourly, reports of stress levels. It seems everyone around me is stressed. But how many are joyful?

Due to a ridiculous injury, I lost an entire week this month, flat on my back, useless. Am I a tad behind? Sure. Does it stress me out? Not really. I know I'm behind but it's not a huge deal. I'll get done what I can, the way I can and that will be sufficient. God's grace will surely cover me. Rather than be stressed, I prefer to focus on the words I love so much and sing them at the top of my lungs. (Sorry neighbors.) The songs of the season, if you will, are filled with great words, joy, rejoice, Savior, holy, Emmanuel, bright, shining, love, and so forth and so on.

Go ahead, let one of those songs, one about Jesus, sing through your head. You have to smile, don't you? Rejoice! Emmanuel is coming for you! He is wonderful, holy, bright and shining and He's coming back! Alleluia! (Another great word....)

If the song didn't work. If you aren't musically inclined or overly attached to words, as I am, try this. People say that stressed is desserts spelled backward and this is also a season for a whole bunch of those. Just saying....


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