Who said "The pen is mightier than the sword"?

"The Power Of Reflection"

"The pen is mightier than the sword" is an adage that dates back to 1839, first written by playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton. There is much truth in this observation; books such as "Common Sense" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" have had powerful effects on the values of our nation.

A story by Anya Kamenetz on NPR.org (July 10, 2015) reports on research by Jordan Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. Peterson has found that "The act of writing is more powerful than people think." He's not referring, though, to the effect one's writings can have on others; his interest is in how writing can affect the one who is writing.

In his research, Peterson has university students carefully write of their challenges, their aspirations, and their goals. By putting these thoughts on paper, Peterson has found that students come to see themselves differently. "It completely turned my life around," said one of his students, who went from considering dropping out of school to a position now as a university graduate assistant.

The concept at the focus of this article has been called "self-authoring". Instead of allowing people and circumstances around us to determine our course in life, this approach says, in effect, "I'm in control. I write my own script."

Jesus urged us to reflect when He spoke these words in Luke 12:24: "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?" "Consider" is translated from a Greek word that is fairly equivalent to our "reflect". "Think carefully about this," the Lord was saying. The lessons we learn can be life changing.

The same concept is found in James 1, where we are presented with this scenario: "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was" (James 1:23,24). "Observe" in these verses is from the same Greek word as "consider" in Luke 12:24.

Observing ourselves in God's mirror is a good practice for any of us. But unless it is coupled with follow-up (i.e. obedience), what good does it do? James goes on to state that "a doer of the work ... will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25).

There is indeed power in reflection. The greatest power is in the reflection we see of ourselves in the Bible. Life changing? Absolutely! And the changes God can produce in us are always for good.


Timothy D. Hall