I have been very intentional with studying more scripture – using scripture-based devotionals, bible verse mapping, spending more time with Mass readings. I’m not sure if this is why suddenly this particular psalm that I’ve read several times before and said to myself, “aw…that’s nice” struck a cord in me and is changing the way that I use my voice.
There is no speech, no word, whose voice goes unheeded; their sound goes forth through all the earth, their message to the utmost bounds of the world. Psalm 19: 4-5
Take a second and read it again.
Everything you say goes out into all corners of the world.
So, not only does God hear me. The ENTIRE earth does, too! Every single thing that I speak out and put into the world reverberates through all the earth and impacts people and things and situations even in the farthest reaches!
Is this why prayer is the best gift we can give someone? Is this how we join our prayers and Masses for those who are also praying them? Is this how prayer becomes magnified and heals us all?
Prayer and good words are so very important. When I lift up healing prayers and holy words on behalf of someone else, they are felt around the world.
For me it became so clear how connected we all are. When someone is harmed, I am harmed. When someone is celebrating, I am celebrating. It also means that when I say negative things about myself, someone else senses that. When hateful words are spewed, another of God’s creation somehow feels the ugliness.
This verse explained so clearly to me why our deepest feelings and stronger moods are sometimes shifted unexplainably. Yes, sometimes He may be trying to teach us something or get our attention, but maybe we are sensing the pain of another from somewhere very distant from where we are. We are all God’s created beings, living in Him and He living in us. We are bonded by invisible-to-us threads that connect us to each other forever. I imagine those threads and the people connected by them look like billions of string lights woven in and out of each other as each thread lights up when the people on each end of it light up from kindness and good will.
We tell little kids all the time to “use their words” to express themselves, but that applies here, too, with a slight addition. Use your words carefully, positively. As they grow up the lessons about words shifts to “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”…because what you say will ring through all the earth.
Imagine yourself having the attention of everyone who lives or has lived. What do you want them to hear from you?
Prayerful, gentle, wise words spoken in love with patience and power or
angry, cynical, sad words spoken out of vengeance, or spite, or frustration?
The choice is yours.
So this Advent season, I am focusing on my words and prayers, and I ask you to join me.
Pray for those suffering in the world. Let them know you’re with them in spirit.
Forgive and seek forgiveness for sins, past and present.
Atone for wrongdoings that caused undeserved pain.
Celebrate with those who are celebrating!
Sing with those who are singing.
Hurt with those who are hurting, and lift them up in prayer.
Live with the living!
Pray for the dying.
Love those who can’t love,
have never been loved,
don’t know how to love,
need love,
who love you or don’t love you,
who have harmed you,
who have loved before you,
who loved you before they knew you.
Love those you don’t know and may never know.
Ask God to help you love and speak love in all things. Ask him to show you when your words are not healing or helpful, or wise, or true. Ask him to help you speak life into what is before you, what is right in front of you. Someone somewhere will feel that love and can then speak life and love into what is going on in front of them. If we can remember to speak with love and light, what a wonderful world it would be!
I know this sounds dreamy and naïve, but I fully believe it’s the world God created for us. This would be heaven on earth.
May you be filled with His Love and Light!
Leah
If you've found inspiration in the thoughts shared by Leah and others, don't hesitate to spread the light. Share our blog with a friend and encourage them to subscribe directly from our homepage. Let's keep the inspiration flowing!
You have just reminded me again the power of my voice, in sharing what we experience in this life to help and bring hope and light to others! Love this!