On the other hand, words such as decrepit, grimace, rancid, cancer and nausea are ugly and repulsive to me, because they summon bad thoughts into my mind. I don’t like those words very much.
Words can be strung together in so many different ways, to communicate any number of ideas, concepts, feelings and thoughts. Some phrases are beautiful not only because of the ways the words mesh together and sound when they roll off our tongues, but also because of the images they conjure up in our minds.
“Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet,” wrote L. M. Montgomery in “Anne of Green Gables,” and you can almost see the sun rising over a garden and smell the freshness of the early morning.
J. D. Salinger once described a girl: “She wasn’t doing a thing that I could see, except standing there, leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together,” and even without seeing her or knowing anything else about her, you can see her beauty and almost fall in love with her.
My favorite words are found in what the angel said to the women at the empty tomb on Resurrection morning:
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, Who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said!”
Those words are beautiful to me, because they paint a word picture in my mind. They tell me that my sins have been paid for, and that I don’t have to be afraid of anything ever again. They tell me to keep my priorities in order, that I cannot find real life and things that matter among dead things. They tell me that after having suffered an excruciatingly horrible death, Jesus arose victoriously from the tomb.
But the most beautiful words in what the angel said are in the sentence: “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said!” They’re magnificent, hopeful, joyful words. They tell us that the entire future of the world has been changed forever. They say that Jesus cannot be confined to the little boxes or rooms where we have shoved Him. They declare that Jesus is more powerful and mighty than anything that could be done to Him. And most of all, they cry out that Jesus is one who keeps His promises.
So I don’t know what your favorite words or phrases are, but just for today, at least, take these words and celebrate them and what they mean: “He is not here; He is risen, just as He said!”
--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com