Ephesians 4:31-32
Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Our little 3-year-old niece, Zola, spent a couple of nights with us recently, and we enjoyed seeing what she has learned since her last visit...hearing how her speech has improved...and listening to her laugh. Her speech becomes clearer each week...and she has a LOT to say! One of the things she repeatedly told us this time is, “I can say nice words, but I can’t say bad words. Mommy says I can’t say bad words. I can say ‘Yes, Ma’am’ and ‘Yes, Tir (Sir)’...but I can’t say bad words.” A couple of times, she told me a word and said, “My mommy says I can’t say that word.” I would remind her, “If Mommy says you shouldn’t say that word, let’s not say it!”
Zola’s mother (my niece, Jasmine) is trying really hard to teach her children the important lessons of Ephesians 4:31-32. When we are with Timothy and Zola, they often tell on themselves...”I had an attitude,” or “I hit Zola because she made me mad,” or “I tore up Timmy’s book.” They don’t always share with their baby brother, Nathan...and they don’t like it when he bothers their things. I know that it is part of being two, three and five...and that the children do have to learn the proper behaviors. But the sad thing is that some of us are more than ten times their ages, and we still don’t get it! We yell, scream, curse and treat others terribly. We hold grudges, we retaliate, we get angry...and we are terribly spiteful and bitter. And the worst part of all is that we do this while claiming to be born-again believers in Jesus Christ!
We go to church on Sunday morning...and curse at the television while watching a sporting event on Sunday afternoon. We give God the glory for the “great things He has done”, as the hymn says...and then we take His name in vain as we rake someone over the coals for something that isn’t even all that significant in the scheme of things. We shake our fists at the guy who pulled out in front of us at the grocery store... and pretty well come unhinged over the little old lady who pulls into a parking space ahead of us. We have absolutely no patience for the young mother of two or more who is trying to sort her groceries at the check-out counter so that she can qualify for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) assistance. We do nothing to hide our disdain toward people who do not meet our standards for appearance...we judge everything from body piercings and tattoos to clothing, cleanliness, size, shape and hair color. And don’t even get me started on how we treat those whose race or ethnicity is different from ours!
We do not take into account what is happening in other people’s lives at any given time. We can’t possibly know everything...but we sure try to act like we do much of the time. The Apostle Paul does a great job in these verses of reminding us to remember well what Jesus did for us...how He treats us...and to treat others the same way. Offer them mercy and forgiveness...gentleness and kind talk...the benefit of the doubt. Take a lesson from a young mother trying to teach her preschoolers to say nice words and to regard others with kindness, courtesy, compassion and respect.
Stop and ask yourself what Jesus would do...and how He would have you respond. Remind yourself of the commitment you made when you accepted Jesus’ gift of Salvation on the cross in exchange for your sins. Start saying nice words instead of bad ones...and be kind and merciful toward others. If you really want to be Jesus’ disciple, you’ve got to act like one! When you interact with others, who do you truly represent? Are you a pre-school Christian disciple... or a bonafide grown-up?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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