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.

 

 

Never buy a mattress that comes in pieces (parts)!

In the beginning...

My marriage was over. While in the throes of desperately wanting to "start over", I needed to buy some new stuff. It would have been nice to have moved out of my "sour" memory filled apartment but that wasn't feasible. So I settled on getting some other comfortable accoutrements. We had bought a really solid wooden foundation the year before and all I needed was a new mattress. 

In one of the many catalogues I used to receive, I found this faux suede, patchwork type of cover that was absolutely gorgeous! Some matching sheets were also placed on the same order. Now all I needed was something to go under the cover (besides for myself). Having been seduced by the many TV adverts, I decided to go with the one where you could select your comfort level at the touch of a button. And when I got the chance to stop into one of their stores I purchased one of their least expensive items.

If I remember correctly, the thing arrived in two large boxes because it was composed of several pieces. Assembling it was a relatively easy task. (Very unlike those boxed book shelves where you're instructed to put part A with part B. But then you find B is actually Z and B is nowhere to be found.) The "air chambers" were filled with air and I was filled with the promise of some very blissful sleep time.

In the intermediate...

For a few years there was a certain amount of contentment. I had absolutely no complaints. The mattress behaved as a mattress should behave...it gave me no trouble whatsoever. And yet, recently I've found a few reasons to become disgruntled. One of the "inner tubes" blew; went completely flat on me. In this sort of circumstance, the company (which shall remain nameless coz I don't need any body threatening me with lawyers...you can figure it out for yourself) does supply replacements but at almost a hundred bucks a pop!

If I was working there really wouldn't be too much of a problem but that's not the case at the moment. At this moment the whole right of my bed has this deep depression. Looks quite lopsided!

Not much more to say

Needless to say, I really don't recommend these sort of a accomodations. That is if you don't want a whole lot of angst like me.

   

Good Morning?

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The Truth about Racism

The exact subject on Oprah that day escapes me. What I do remember was a woman telling a story about how she was put off of an airplane: a few of the other passengers felt uncomfortable about her obesity. She went on to say that fat people are kept from better jobs and are paid less because of their weight. Her comments smacked of coincidence. They all had the familiar ring of things said by other "minorities".

 

Too Many Similarities

The similarities in tone go way beyond the coincidental. All such statements are rooted in bitterness and pain; in year of emotional abuse. Words that express a myriad of emotions: anger, frustration, hate and a grave feeling of helplessness to change one's own situation. I have found these feelings that that are not only felt by racial minorities but they are held in common by all people. Most people may not know it, or even care to admit it, that are more similarities than differences "under the skin".

 

A Human Problem



No amount of current headlines are necessary to remind us that there is a "racial problem". There is absolutely no need of tales of neighborhood unrest or full scale rioting to remind us something is going on a daily basis. Plain truth of the matter is that not problem of the "races".

 

It's more than one ethnic group against another. Any hatred manifesting itself in our cities stems from fear and indifference. It's not so much black against Korean or white versus black. What it boils down to is, black against black, white versus white, Hispanic versus black; all the way down the wide human spectrum of human diversity. It's also man against woman and man against man. In spite of the thousands of years we've occupied this planet we have yet to learn how to treat each other with respect and sensitivity.

 

Disdain for anyone because of the color of their skin is purely a smoke screen. I've know blacks who have hated other blacks because they weren't dark enough. As well as Hispanics who disliked the other because they we'ren't light enough. It is much easier to be indifferent to someone than it is to take time to commit oneself to understanding and becoming involved with another person or group. Indifference is the root of it all.

Loving Ourselves

The other day, as I was waiting for a movie to start, there was a promo for learning what it is to parent. While the antics this young man was pulling off were suppose to be amusing, I couldn't help but be distracted by his appearance. It was not hard to see he was tatooed over his entire body. Only a few covering his arms were visible, there were also a few up to his chin. Perhaps it's my age but I find such things very hard to look at, for it is, to me, a very distinct lack of love for oneself.

 

Most certainly there will be those who will disagree with me vehemently but I have some very strong doubts that God intended our bodies to be treated as canvases. There is an admonition in the Old Testament against tatooing but that isn't my main concerns. Many doctors would most probably assert it is a "safe" practice, there is always the point they are not easily removed. It is more than probable that the tatooee could grow tired of their "body art" and become very frustrated when they find it a permanent fixture.

 

One of the biggest hindrances to true self love is our inability to totally accept ourselves. In my case, during my formative years, I was constantly teased about my kinky, "brillo" like hair and my height. Plain fact of the matter was there was very little I could do about either. Oh sure, I could have sought to straightened my hair or have it "relaxed".  The I could have worn hiked up shoes but I was never into such things. We really never like things that make us different and we carry our appearance insecurities way into adulthood.

 

It wasn't until the Lord helped me to see myself as He saw me (as He had made me) that I came to full acceptance of who I am. I was released from all of the nagging "imperfections" I had accumulated during my early years; finally able to see myself in the light of His love. This is such a  freeing, peace filled view that can only come from Him.

 

So admonish all of you to totally seek after Him for He is not only the "author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), He is also the source of our life.

The Big Two

 

 

In the twenty second chapter of, the first book of the four gospels, (Verses 36-40 to be exact), a learned man of Hebrew law approached Jesus and asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" Knowing that this was one of the many times the religious authorities would try to trip Him up, Jesus replied, in His very straight forward manner, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: Love your neighbor as yourself." He finished up by including that, "All the other commandments and all the demands of God's prophets are encapsulated within these two laws. Keep only these and you will find you are obeying all the others."

 

What a statment! It is absolutely amazing, baffling almost, that the whole Bible, all sixty six books (except for most of the historical narrative portions) can be summed up in those seven little lines. In a way, it's so simple and yet, at the same time, very complicated.

 

For as long as the Church (the entire historical Body Of Christ) has had possession of this knowledge, we have failed to completely grasp the total significance and power of these Biblical statements. Oh, for sure, we've known about them and treated them as doctrine. No doubt there are very few members, of any congregation, who can't cite chapter and verse. And yet, it is primarily head knowledge for most congregants. These two basic commandments have, pretty much, elluded the hearts of the Body of Christ.

 

The biggest stumbling blocks the church has yet to sidestep is the fact that these Big Two work in tandem. In order to truly love one-self we have to learn what it is to truly love God. The one just does not work without the other and we are compelled to follow the divine sequence: God first and then ourselves. It doesn't work any other way.

 

What will always snag us is our stubborn desire to figure things out for ourselves. Relying primarily on own understanding (mixed up with we may have been taught in our respective churches), we believe we know what it is to love God. With some definite assurance I can say, if a minister would ask, "Who here loves God?" 99.9% of them would raise their eager hands. Problem is, there are two psycological components working in the background. First there is that subtle "peer pressure"--nobody wants to feel left out. It's a kind of fear mixed with a wee bit of pride.

 

But, then you have those who firmly believe they do know what it is to love God and they just might have a good grasp of it all. The thing is, God will always have the last word. If we really want to know what it is to love we only need ask Him. And then comes the necessary trial and error phase where we learn from Him what it's all about. Gone are the tried and true Sunday School lessons. They are replaced by the solid rock of God reasoning.

 

Once we have the full knowledge of what it is to love God, then and only then, do we learn how to love ourselves and then others.  And when we learn how to love ourselves and others we will be able to see that most of the ills plaguing the world are present due the lack of the Big Two in the church. I strongly believe if we truly knew what it is to love there would be no racism, no recession, no war, etc. This will be the underlying premise for all future and subsequent entries.