The Gift of Words

“Then the LORD reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth!” (Jeremiah 1:9 NLT)

Dogs have more olfactory receptors than humans. Their keen sense of smell allows them to gather information from the scents around them. Dogs can also hear sounds four times farther away than human ears. They can move each ear in different directions and gather more available sound waves. Dogs can also see further than humans because they have a wider angle of view, but since much of what they see is not in focus, they cannot always identify what they see. Since they are not able to talk, dogs communicate with other dogs using body language: positioning of their ears, movement of their tails, leaving their scent as markers, growls, baring their teeth, etc. 

Unlike dogs, humans have the gift of verbal communication. We are able to hear, speak, and understand words. We have developed multiple ways to use language to express ourselves and comprehend each other--talking, writing, and myriad forms of digital communication. 

The ability to constantly receive and convey thoughts through words is unique to humans. However, not all of us have learned to use this gift adequately.  Language is an art that needs to be practiced. Communication is a lot like painting with words. Depending on our medium, we can use various tools and methods to reveal and recognize concepts. Thoughts are shaped during contemplation. Words are selected to fit the correct shade of meaning. Speech allows us to use intonation, volume, and conversational phrases. Writing enables deeper thought and additional time to craft concise sentences. Reading empowers us to learn, digest, and retain information. May we use this precious gift of words fully and wisely.