Reflections after an operation on my vocal cords

I had an operation on my vocal cords today. They actually found two polyps, so I was worse off than originally thought. I have a bit of a sore throat, but not too bad- only hurts (slightly) when I swallow. Hey, though- I can still eat whatever I want. But not too much "scratchy stuff" (chips, tacos, chex mix, etc.). It really went fine. I am glad to have the operation over with, and now to be on the mend. I should recover at least 80% of my vocal capacity after the recovery period (somewhere between 2-3 months). Hopefully, I will be able to sing again one day!
It has been interesting to go into a period of silence for about a week to ten days (according to the doctor- although my voice therapist says more like 12 -14 days.) I have had time to reflect on the power of words. It is interesting to sit in with a group of people, and to hear them talking, but not to be able to respond to them (except what I can write on my "white-board"). My wife and daughters say that it is a bit lonely to have me in the room, but not to be able to converse with me. We all talk about everything. I am grateful for our communication in our family over the years, that we can share what is in our hearts, to share words of encouragement and blessing, to challenge each other with our thoughts on various subjects, to make plans together. We need not only to be with each other, but also to share with each other- and, the primary way that this is done is through words. Without words, we can communicate SOME things, but not ALL things. We cannot share our HEARTS, our THOUGHTS, our PLANS, our EXPERIENCES. How much we are dependent upon our words to communicate OURSELVES.
As I have thought about all of this, I have thought about our relationship with The Lord, and the power of The Word. What if God had chosen to only be revealed to us in nature, in His creation- but, had never chosen to speak to us in words? Can you imagine what a lonely place this universe would be? What if He was present with us, but we never knew His thoughts, His plans, His blessing, His heart? What if Jesus came to the earth, and the only thing He did was miracles of healing, and calming the storm and even raising the dead- but, He never taught anything, or communicated the thoughts and intentions of His heart through words? What if we did not have the written word- the Bible- to communicate from generation to generation what the purposes of the Lord were? How would we interpret these events? Can you imagine anything more lonely than than to try to have a relationship with the Lord without words? Today, as you pray for me (and, I appreciate your prayers and your notes), also praise the Lord for the word, and for God's communication with us through words. Believe me- when you don't have them as readily available to you as you would like, you realize their value!