The Power of the Written Word – February 14, 1999
We have long known the power of the written word. Through their writings, historians preserve the events that shape the destiny of nations. Poets write words that blissfully lift us above the mundane business of life into thoughtful reverie. Novelists, with the magic of their words, transport us into paths of excitement and intrigue. Philosophers and statesmen motivate millions to nobler actions with their written words. Most significantly, words recorded in sacred scriptural writings open our view to the purpose of life and how to live it to the fullest. There is indeed great power in the written word.
Consider the power of our own written words. Some may respond to that idea with the statement, “I’m not a writer!” There are words within each of us that have the power to bless the lives of others. Writing them becomes the gift we give—the legacy we leave. On his birthday a young father decided to write a letter to his parents, who lived only a few blocks away. In it he reviewed some of the kindnesses his parents had shown him, and expressed his gratitude and love for them. It touched them deeply. At the time of the writing, the son had no knowledge of a terminal illness that would take his life only two months later. His parents cherish the precious words their son wrote to them. Phone calls are nice, but they cannot be reread, bringing joy over and over again.
If we could look into the secret places where people keep their most treasured items, we would find written words from loved ones—words they could not bear to throw away. One such treasure a woman held dear was a little note from her husband that said, “Happy anniversary, sweetheart. I love you.” That short message, found by her posterity, told volumes about the love she and her husband shared.
It was Shakespeare who wrote, “Go to your bosom; knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know.”1 There is great power in the written word. Writing down what is in our hearts can make a difference in someone’s life now—and perhaps for generations to come.
Program #3626
1“Measure for Measure,” in David St. Leger, ed., A Treasury of Wisdom and Inspiration (New York: New American Library of World Literature, Inc., Signet Key Books, 1954), 91.