Suppose you were in a large store of some sort and heard a conversation going on in the next isle. In the first few seconds you first heard someone speaking, it became a heated exchange. Someone launched into a sentence with four-letter words. You walked around the corner and to your surprise, the person who uttered those unflattering comments is a close friend of yours. Someone you see in church every Sunday. The same person that serves on out-reach committees and volunteers in the nursery. Not someone you’d expect to use “those” words.
While not a direct comparison, I am noticing how “free” some people feel to spout off on social media. Often using language, offering jokes or posting pictures that you’d not expect coming from a follower of Christ.
OK maybe I’m a bit of a prude and too old fashioned, but I don’t understand how a person won’t use certain words in a church social setting, but they’ll just “let loose” on public form.
I know it may be difficult to always speak proper English and I understand during times of great stress proper words may be difficult to come by. But I just wonder about the wisdom of expressing one’s self with obscene, demonstrative and/or inappropriate language or pictures. This includes emails and commentary blogs post. Here’s an article by Michael Hyatt on this concept. Bottom line? Be careful what you post.
Here is a verse in this subject:
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. - Luke 6:45 NKJV
What is coming out of your mouth? Or to put a modern twist on this, what is coming out of your keyboard?
Now, there is the reality that our words –even those typed in anger – are living in cyber-space forever. I suggest before you tell someone off or before you use a “colorful metaphor” or before you pass along that funny joke, you think before you post. Ask yourself if this comment is really necessary and do you want it be attached to you – permanently.
Of course it you are a follower of Christ, shouldn’t our words, spoke and written, reflect Him and His character?
I close with this verse from Psalm 19:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer. – Psalm 19:14
Blessings My Friend
-jm
