James 4:11
My friends, don't say cruel things about others! If you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning God's Law. And if you condemn the Law, you put yourself above the Law and refuse to obey either it.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I watched The Today Show as the parents of 13-year-old Texas middle school student, Asher Truong, spoke about their son’s suicide one week earlier. The boy was taunted and teased unmercifully because he was gay, and when he couldn’t take any more, he took his father’s gun into a closet and shot himself. Cruel things and condemning words were more than a teenage boy could handle. And Asher is not the only one. Other young people have taken their lives in recent weeks and months – or made an attempt – because of the cruelty of those around them.
This is not about being gay. And don’t tell me that these victims didn’t have enough faith or a strong enough relationship with God. I don’t discount the belief that God can give us strength to overcome tremendous pressures and challenges. But at the same time, this speaks to a very serious issue in our country … the cruelty and condemnation of our words and actions … and it’s running rampant.
We can scarcely turn on the television these days without hearing someone say cruel things about someone else. Condemnation of others has become almost a sport. So it isn’t all that surprising that bullies have upped the ante and escalated their tactics to aggravate and insult their targets. And as a result, we have an increase in suicides among our young people – some no older than upper elementary school age.
The thing I want us to think about today is that this is more than just a “moral issue.” This scripture passage tells us that this is clearly a violation of God’s Law! So when you condemn classmates, people in your community, public figures and others, you are violating the Law and putting yourself above it … which is a sin. When you write vile things in a letter to the editor of your local paper about a person or a group of people, you have effectively snubbed your nose at God. When you tell an off-color joke about a particular race, creed, or color of people … or make a snide comment about someone that alludes to their lifestyle or their ethnicity, you have sinned.
I’ll share two quick examples … I recently heard someone be publicly critical of an outfit our First Lady was wearing while during a television news report. The problem with the criticism was that this person rolled her eyes and “excused” Mrs. Obama’s fashion choices as being a result of her ethnicity. Several in the room laughed. I did not, and I quickly pointed out that her choices were actually the “in” thing at the moment. I could have said more, but I am fairly certain the lady got my point.
The other incident happened on a reality television show, in which a fashion designer created a new fabric with a pattern that included “plus signs” to reflect his status as HIV positive. He had been diagnosed ten years ago, but because of the stigma attached to his lifestyle and this disease, he had never told anyone – not even his parents … until now. He was truly frightened and lonely … but once he explained his fabric design, there were tears, hugs and kind words for him.
So what does this have to do with us? It goes back to the basic tenet that people are watching. They see how we react to unkind comments – even about a fashion choice. And if we behave badly, they sometimes get the idea this is acceptable … and it is perpetuated. The young man who was so scared to reveal his secret could have easily folded and gone the way of Asher Truong and others. And had his fellow contestants and the judges on this show reacted cruelly or with condemnation, he might have done just that.
We don’t realize how the smallest, simplest things – the miniscule gestures, thoughts and comments of our day – are just as important to God as the big stuff. We get that we shouldn’t kill, steal, worship other Gods, and more. But we don’t see how Satan uses the littlest things to do the biggest destruction.
We have to stop this. We have to ask ourselves each and every minute of the day if what we are saying and doing – how we are reacting to others – lines up with God’s Law. Do we really love others as we love ourselves? Do we truly live in a way that honors Jesus Christ, who loved us like no other? It’s time we started … and it begins today. Are you with me?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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