Most of us are fortunate enough to have at least one or more close
friends. Let me introduce you to one of mine.
We are just a few years apart in age and have boys who are just a few
years apart in age. We attend the same church, enjoy music, enjoy having
breakfast (or lunch) together, and we enjoy the same career—teaching, although
she retired last year and I still have a year or two to go. My dear friend is someone with whom I can
talk, listen, laugh, cry, and pray. One
other commonality is our view of using Facebook as a means to keep up with
family and friends, and yet we are equally frustrated by much of the
unsolicited Facebook suggested posts.
Today, my friend and I made a new discovery. Apparently (according to Facebook), science
has proven people who use inappropriate language (i.e., swear words), have a
much greater vocabulary, and are therefore smarter than other people. Really?
Seriously?
A quick stop at Global Language Monitor: www.languagemonitor.com reveals as of
January 1, 2016, the English language contained an estimated 1,035,877.3 words.
(Just
like you, I’m wondering what the three-tenths of a word could have been.)
It is estimated that one new word is created every 98 minutes which comes to
roughly 14.7 newly generated words per day. (Yes,
I did the math… 24 hours X 60 minutes ÷ 98 = 14.693877551,
which rounds to 14.7 words per day. No, don’t ask about the seven-tenths of a
word because I have no clue!) The same site purported Shakespeare created
1,700 words during his lifetime.
I realize many families, including ours, have uniquely generated words.
This is in large measure due to a child’s
inability to correctly pronounce words. Hence we have words such as “pasghetti”
instead of spaghetti, “dink” instead of drink, and “baff” instead of bath. Obviously, this was not the focus of the
Facebook suggested post. So how does the
Christian respond to the topic of swear words? Isn’t it a person’s “right?”
The Bible is quite clear on matters regarding our words and the wisdom of
speech. James identifies the tongue as
being a small part of our body, and yet capable of producing great evil when
left unguided, (James 3:1-12). David
reminds us that the LORD examines our hearts, knows everything about us, and
knows what we are going to say even before we say it, (Psalm 139:1-6). The Wisest of the Wise, King Solomon,
repeatedly warns:
·
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of
life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:11, NIV)
·
The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. (Proverbs 10:32, NIV)
·
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the
tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18, NIV)
·
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word
stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1, NIV)
·
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. (Proverbs 15:28, NIV)
·
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his
lips promote instruction. (Proverbs 16:23, NIV)
If you take time to read through Proverbs, you will easily recognize
that I have only provided a small sampling of wisdom regarding the importance
of choosing our words carefully. Words
matter. Words are a reflection of our
hearts.
Do you know what bothers me the most? The use of inappropriate language
is so prevalent in today’s world, that even Christians—who would never think of
actually using such language themselves—have grown callous of its use by
others. We are becoming immune to the recognition of swear words in movies,
songs, commercials, and even Facebook posts. We are stooping to a new low. Now you understand the title of this
blog: Stoop-idity; the state or quality
of stooping to the world’s standards. (Yes,
I just made that up. It’s one of the
14.7 new words for today.)
Thankfully, we are given a solution.
“And whatever you do, whether in WORD [emphasis mine] or deed, do it
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17, NIV
“Let your conversation be always full of grace…” Colossians 4:6, NIV
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all
men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to
ungodliness [e.g., foul language; again emphasis mine], and to live self-controlled,
upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13, NIV
Yes, we have a choice. We can
say “NO!” to stoop-idity.
Respectfully
written and submitted by:
Dotty
Willmon, Resurrection Christian
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