Words that Maim

Weapons of the tongue

 

Of course, I could be horribly wrong, but it seems that within the last 30 years or so, it seems that the use of four letter words has increased; has become more "acceptable". No doubt, there will be an army of those who will chide me saying that it's not any better or worse than it's always been. And yet, it just seems like since the advent of Rap music, there's been a loosening of our basic common vernacular. In no way am I saying that the blame on the progenitors of this "music" are totally to blame. And yet, it just seems like since we've allowed these "artists" calling people "Niggahs" and "Hos" to fill our air waves. If this strictly on the television or radio I could just turn it off but, unfortunately, I have to be subjected to it all in a classroom situation.

There's a certain group of young ladies there who feel it necessary to loudly proclaim their discontent on every subject they know, punctuating it all with four letter words. You'd think I'd be used to it because this is all nothing new to me. And yet, it's the frequency of the words. It's almost as if they don't know there are other adjectives, nouns and modifiers in the English language. Sadly, they are not aware of the fact that it is all the language of hate. This country has become polarized over "hate speech". To me these words are all another form of hate speech. The bad thing about the situation is that a majority of people don't recognize that you can tear others down in so many different ways.

Name Calling

As I mentioned earlier, all of this is nothing new to me. When I was in Navy boot camp I heard all of these words used with the same kind of frequency. And yet, what God has convinced me of is that every time we call anybody a name (doesn't matter what name that isn't their given appellation) we are reducing that person or group of people to almost nothing. In essence, we are saying that these people aren't worth anything; they don't deserve to live. Unfortunately, when we do that we not only devalue them we also devalue ourselves.

What lies within

All of this cursing and name calling comes out of anger. Most people hold within them an anger that is deep seated. The whole essence of sin is that we want to have control. Eve decided to eat the fruit because she didn't want to be left out...didn't want somebody telling her what she could and could not do. So she took control. Problem is that this sense of control is a myth. Nobody has complete control over anything but that doesn't stop us from being continually frustrated in our pursuit.

Can that inner beast be tamed?

One of the biggest ironies about cursing is that nobody likes it when it's used against them. In spite of how tough, "thick skinned" we think we are, the common "cuss" words are going to raise the tiny hairs on the back of our neck. The eyebrows may arch, our the eyes will squint a bit and we'll be more than ready to let go with a barrage of epithets that will surely turn the air all shades of blue.

The only way to tame that "little member" (James 3:5) is to submit yourself to God. Through the work of His Holy Spirit He will change our heart. He will also open our eyes to see how we need to love ourselves and those around us.