In very recent years, I read the book Esther by Charles Swindoll. In his retelling of the story of the Biblical Esther, Swindoll penned, “ … you are you – the only you in all the world.
You’re the only person with your exact heritage, your precise series of events in the pilgrimage and sufferings of life that have brought you to this hour. You’re the only one with your personal convictions, your makeup, your skills, your appearance, your touch, your voice, your style, your surroundings, your sphere of influence – you’re the only one.”
Swindoll’s words resonate – we are the only ones who will walk our paths in life; we are the only ones who will influence those a part of our lives, hopefully in ways bringing honor and respect to God and to those we know. We are also the only ones whose lives can be the inspiration for others, again hopefully making impacts on the lives of others in ways bringing them much joy and success.
When Mom arrived in Todd County in 1946, she immediately became the person who stood out in a community that saw very few outsiders, especially someone transplanted here from Queensland, Australia. As a result, one of the first lessons I learned as a child was to respect all people regardless of their economic status, their educational experiences, their heritage, and/or their cultural background. Many of us of the 21st Century who witnessed the atrocities of 9/11 will reiterate we would be very prudent to follow Jesus’s admonition to treat others as we want to be treated. His command, often termed the Golden Rule, is one that should become a daily incentive to us to remember we need to treat all folks, even those who are different from us, as we want others to treat and respect us.
After being in an English classroom for 34 years, I would reiterate another very prudent reminder we need to grasp is the fundamental lesson to respect differences in folks. My preferences are my preferences, and those preferences should not be pushed upon the preferences of others around me. Again, the word respect stands tall as we should respect the ideas of others. Obviously, we will not always agree with the thoughts of others continually; however, we can listen to the ideas of others respectfully, sift through those ideas prudently, and perhaps adapt those ideas as we may desire to do so. My decisions are my own, and acceptance of them should not be imposed upon others. Just recently I penned something and shared it with another person; that person read my words differently from what I intended. Thus, with my perusing my words again, I soon realized the misinterpreted word I had used. With a little rewording based upon the other person’s thoughts regarding what I had penned, a clearer understanding for both was gained.
Our words matter, and in our efforts to build stronger communications with those around us, we definitely need to ‘mull over’ what we have penned or what we will say, keeping in mind that what we pen or say may perhaps be interpreted differently from what we intended. Students in English classes were always cautioned to proof what they penned carefully, noting their thoughts and making sure their penned thoughts reflected accurately what they desired to communicate. That habit is one we all, CLW included, could definitely incorporate more into our daily activities and communications.
Article by Carolyn L. Wells
September 20, 2025
