James 3:8
But our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was about 10 years old, my Girl Scout leader was helping us with a sewing project, and I think she stuck herself with a needle. Anyway, I remember she said “Darn it!” We were appalled, and she was embarrassed. This was not quite a curse word, but it was not a nice word to use in conversation in 1967… especially in front of ten-year-olds! That seems almost laughable now, because many of us use the word “darn” and don’t give it a second thought. But sadly, many of us often use words that are far worse!
My childhood was probably like most … in junior high and senior high, I started to hang out with some people who used some pretty bad language. They weren’t bad people … they just thought this rowdy language was cool. And at first, I didn’t participate … until they laughed at me. So I let them “teach” me to curse. For a while, we thought we were really hot stuff, because we knew all of the really BAD words! Oh, we didn’t use them around adults … or most certainly our parents or teachers … but we sure had fun other times. Our tongues were most definitely out of control.
Has it ever occurred to you that many shows like “Andy Griffith”, “I Love Lucy” and “Bonanza” and many movies produced before 1970 are really good – even today – and yet they contain no cursing? Truly, the four-letter words don’t add much of anything to the story in most cases, but you can hardly find a television show - much less a movie - that doesn’t contain them now. And on many cable shows, it’s hard to keep up sometimes, because every other word seems to be “bleeped.”
The truth is … much of what we say becomes a habit. My grandmother starts virtually every sentence with, “I tell you what…” Others start saying things like “Been there, done that,” or “No way, Jose,” or “Shut the front door.” And while these are harmless phrases, nobody likes to be around someone who peppers their sentences – or their Internet posts – with cursing. One I would particularly like to see people stop using is OMG. Did you realize that any time you speak some form of the Lord’s name in this manner, you are “taking His name in vain,” which is a form of cursing?
Habits can be broken. It won’t be easy, but if you find you are using inappropriate language, ask God to help you stop. A good way to start is to find a silly substitute for the words you use most frequently. If you stub your toe, try saying something like “sugar pie.” When something doesn’t go your way, how about saying “fiddlesticks” or “flitter,” as was the word my mom’s friend uses. My mother-in-law likes to say “phooey!” Whatever works for you … but it has to be something totally off-the-wall and unrelated to the curse word you once used. It works - I promise! Everyone needs a “vent” word from time to time … but it doesn’t have to be a well-known dirty one. God will help you work on this bad habit and clean up your speech – and get your tongue under control. People may wonder what on earth you are talking about, but they will never think of you as someone who cannot control their tongue!
©2010 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment