The Joy of Words

Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis

“To say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that’s the whole are and joy of words.”  C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces.

A great quote from a great book written by a great author.  I read it and a question stirs in my mind.  Have we lost the joy of words?

Txt.  Text.  Text message.

Personally, I find the joy of words when I practice the art of words.  The art of words is expressing exactly what you mean, nothing more or less.  And that is hard to do.

In Ecclesiastes Solomon tells us that the words of the wise are gracious but fools only multiply their words.  Rambling endlessly, they never express what they actually mean.

I don’t know if this is the case for you, but it is a chore for me sometimes (actually quite often) to really discern exactly where my heart and mind are at.  Instead of taking time to quietly reflect, I have the habit of talking until I either express myself satisfactorily or I utterly confuse my listener.  Despite my dilemma, I know there is a solution.

Take time to rest and reflect.  Use that time to pray and seek.  Write things down.  Try and use as few words as possible to fully express yourself.

When we don’t do any of those things to practice the art of words, we lose the art of words.  Language is a blessed gift from the Lord, and it is overwhelmingly the biggest tool we have to express ourselves.  Don’t waste it.  I don’t want it to waste away.