How many words were spoken to us when we were young?  How many seeds were dropped into the soil of our minds and hearts during the springtime of our lives? Those words came from our parents and from many others. We heard words of greeting and welcome, words of encouragement and affirmation, words of advice and guidance, words of correction and chastisement, words of warning and caution, words of comfort and consolation.

At the time we may not have appreciated those words, but we needed to hear them. But one thing is clear: our lives would be immeasurably poorer without the sowing of all those words.

As adults we still need the sowing of the right kind of words. Pity those people who hear nothing but words of criticism and blame. Pity those who have to survive on a diet of silence. But happy are those who hear words of encouragement, love and peace.

But there are many other voices vying for our attention. In fact, every day we are subjected to a veritable blizzard of words. There has never been so much talk on radio, TV and especially the internet. How then can we hear or even recognise what is good for us?!

It’s not enough merely to remember the words we hear; we have to do it! One of the ways of telling a false diamond from a true one is by means of light. In the case of a false diamond, the light goes straight through the stone. In the case of a true one, the light remains inside it, bringing it to life and setting it on fire.

Don’t be a mere hearer of words. React to what you hear, and be a diamond!