The Power of Words

On a stifling June afternoon in Philadelphia, New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre was about to step into the air-conditioned comfort of the players' entrance at Veterans Stadium when a middle-aged man called his name. Torre is not one of those celebrities who walk past people head down as if they didn't hear a thing. So he stopped, assuming he would be asked for an autograph.

He was wrong. "I met you almost 30 years ago," the man said. "I was in high school, and I wanted to drop out. My parents asked you to talk to me one day because they thought I might listen to a ballplayer. They were right. I'm a lawyer now. I just wanted to tell you thanks."

Torre was pleased by the story, albeit a bit stunned. "I had a little, tiny, vague memory when he brought it up," he said. "But that was it."

Before he could take the last few steps to the players' entrance, Torre was stopped again, by a younger man. "Twenty years ago I had cancer," he said. "They thought I was terminal. You were with the Mets. You came to see me and gave me a pep talk. I never forgot it. When you were sick, I realized I never said thank you."

Again, Torre was rendered almost speechless.

[Later, he said,] "It makes you realize what all of us in sports can do if we put just a little effort into things. And I mean just a little. A word here, a pat on the back there, a phone call. Right or wrong, because of who we are and what we do, it can have a tremendous effect on people. It's something I wish we could all be a little bit more aware of." -John Feinstein, "Pride of the Yankees," The Washington Post Magazine, July 25, 1999, 7.

You may be saying, “Nice story but Joe Torre is a celebrity sports figure. What he says matters to people. Me, well, I’m just me and nobody cares.”

Not true. There is a reason Joe Torre’s words have the impact they do on lives. It’s not because he’s a celebrity. It’s not because his big salary gives him influence. It’s not because of his success in his field. All of those things may enhance the impact of his words, but the power of his words is founded in a Biblical principle. “The tongue has the power of life and death...” Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) Think about it today before you speak. Your words could either create a champion or a casualty. Just a word today may make the difference in someone’s life to go on or give up. So walk around with your antennae up watching for that opportunity. Some of you right now are strategizing how you’re going to tell your co-worker off for what they did or said to you or how you’re going to set the boss straight. Instead, strategize how you can change someone’s life with a simple word of encouragement.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, use me today to encourage someone, bless someone, give someone what they need to continue on. Holy Spirit guide me in the words I speak today and everyday. AMEN.

Blessings!
Pastor Roger