The power of the words you choose

A friend sent an email with the link to this video today and I felt I had to share it.

Our India team spent some time this past week learning a few words of Hindi so that we can communicate, at least a little, to those we meet in India in their tongue.  We learned to say:

• Thank you – – Dhanyavad or Shukriya
• friend — dost
• My name is — Mera Naam Karen Hai
• Excuse/pardon me — Muaf Karna
• Praise the Lord — Jai Masih Ki

We are taking the time to learn to communicate in a way that has meaning to those we are communicating with.

This video brings home to me just how important it is to consider the needs of the reader or listener in choosing the words you use.  It’s a principle well known to those in the advertising industry and the rest of us are well-advised to put it into practice if we want our message to be heard.

Faith, hope & charity (Part 2)

(Continuing on the theme of my first work-in-progress presentation for the Far Corners Women’s Conferences to be delivered in March)

The story of Abraham and Sarah, and the birth of their son Isaac is the story of how God established his Covenant, or promise, with His people.  It is a story of joy and hope.  It tells us how something that seems impossible is made possible by God.

Sarah laughed to herself when she heard the promise.  God responded to her laughter with the question that we all must ask ourselves sometimes:  Is anything too hard for the LORD?

In my experience, the answer to that question is always no.   But sometimes it takes an awful lot of endurance to maintain your hope in the promise.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to Romans, Chapter 5 – after he tells of how Abraham and Sarah were considered righteous because of their faith in God’s promise – says this about the source of hope:

¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

The story of Sarah and Abraham is a story of God’s faithfulness to those who believe in His promises.  He doesn’t promise us that we will get all we desire.  He doesn’t promise us an easy life or a life without grief.  But He promises us that we can have peace through faith in Jesus and that we can hope in the Glory of God.

And He promises us the Holy Spirit within us to give us power and strength and comfort to face the suffering and trials of life.  And that through those experiences, we can find and renew our hope.  What a wonderful promise.  What a wonderful God.