Words have power. They express profound truth. Or they strip truth of all meaning. Let me give you just two examples.
The first involves a Washington lobbyist who spoke about the Constitution of the United States to a national audience. She described our founding document as quote “that little piece of paper.” You’d think she was referring to a sticky note on the president’s desk instead of one of the most consequential and enduring documents in history.
Another example is the word “mother.” For millennia, “mother” has helped humanity describe the nurture, sacrifice, and emotional bond between a woman and her child. But in recent years, attempts have been made to replace “mother” with the term “birthing person.” Instead of language that honors this sacred role in our culture, motherhood is being reduced to little more than a biological function.
Words are powerful. They shape and enrich our understanding of the world. They guide us toward deeply meaningful ideas that anchor us in reality and encourage good things to happen. But beware: words can also redefine, minimize, and distort reality.
As the nursery rhyme teaches us from infancy, “Be careful little ears what you hear.” Better said, “Be careful what words lead you to believe.” To navigate culture, listen to how words are used. Are they leading you away from truth? Or drawing you closer to it?
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