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Word Up

Today is Yogi Berra's birthday. He is 84 years old. Besides being a Hall of Fame baseball player, he has some great sayings, some of which you probably don't even know are his.

"It ain't over 'til it's over"
"It's like déjà vu all over again."
"When you get to a fork in the road, take it"
"Always go to other people's funerals otherwise they won't go to yours"

And one that has a lot of truth to it; "You can observe a lot by watching"

While it sounds silly, since observe and watch are synonyms, I find it appealing. How many times have you jumped into a situation before recognizing what was going on? I often put my foot in my mouth simply because I did not get all the facts before I reacted. And, as we have each experienced, once you have said something, you cannot take it back.

This is why Paul warned Timothy in his second letter, "Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul." I saw blank stares when I tried explaining sound waves to my 7 and 5 year old the other day. If only sound waves were always pleasant. Sadly, few people realize how powerful their words are.

Each day we can build up or tear down. All with our words. We may not see immediate impact, but that should not fool us into thinking they have no impact. 'Words are not mere words.'
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