Once spoken, words cannot be taken back, and their effects often spread farther than we intend. In sobriety, I try to practice speaking to someone only when my words are kind, thoughtful, considerate, and helpful, because careless words can divide people and leave relationships broken.
Two biblical stories reveal this power of language: one shows words scattering people, while the other shows them bringing people together.
In Genesis, the story of the Tower of Babel shows how human pride and ambition can disrupt unity and communication. By building a tower meant to reach heaven, the people sought to make a name for themselves and act apart from God’s will. Rather than bringing them together, their efforts ended in confusion and division. In response, God said:
“Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So, the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth.” – Genesis 11:6-9
God came down and judged the people by confusing their language and scattering them across the earth.
It was not until thousands of years later, at Pentecost, that God sent the Holy Spirit upon the early Christians, enabling them to speak in different languages as they carried the message of the Lord across the earth, (Acts 2). In this way, Pentecost stands in striking contrast to the division of Babel. While Babel reflected humanity’s separation from God, Pentecost became a sign of unity in early Christianity through the Holy Spirit. Together, these stories demonstrate the power of words to divide and unite.
When Words Gather or Scatter:
Likewise, in sobriety, we gather in meetings to share our experience, strength, and hope. People are brought together through a shared language of recovery. The Third and Fifth Traditions emphasize AA’s mission to carry the message of recovery while remaining inclusive. In this way, AA reflects Pentecost: people from different backgrounds united by a common purpose under the guidance and care of a Higher Power.
A meeting or even a fellowship may not survive if lack of structure, misguided motives, selfish ambitions, and “division of words” undermine the structure intended by AA’s founders. Like the Tower of Babel, it can collapse, and its members may scatter. Words achieve their truest purpose when they lead people away from division and toward unity in the service of God.