Banning Words...
This week in the news there has been discussion about banning the word "bossy", because girls are called this when they are assertive, thus making them look bad rather than striving for success. Well, any one of us in my family would be "Bossy" because that is our name! lol :) I was thinking... can we just ban words and make them no longer exist? Because there are some words that I would like to add to the list! How about "hashtag"; it is a word that is the equivalent to scratching a chalkboard when spoken. We must lose this word much like when people finally stopped saying "www." when giving a website. It is now just assumed or understood. Or how about words that are mash-ups? I do not like them either, like "framily" by Sprint to describe friends and family. Yes, lets ban them, ban them all. All those in favor, say aye! So why make a big deal out of nothing? Well, it is not nothing; they are words and words matter. If someone called you a blankety blank then you would know how much words can hurt and destroy. The children's rhyme song about words can never hurt me.... yeah... that's not true. Words do hurt, sometimes more than physical.
Why not just ban all the bad words? The four-letter words of cussing and the rest of the ugly and lacking of intelligence words. Cussing is just the language of those who lack intelligence and self-control. It is the talk of those with very limited vocabularies or creativity. People can certainly understand if we "ban them". When men are at work or sport they spout off these ugly words to prove their testosterone still flows through their veins. Hey guys, actions speak louder than words! If you're a man's man then prove it by living a life of self-control and discipline. The next generation is watching and listening. The course of one's life can be set and navigated by words. James 3:4-5 says, "Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things." So let me ask you, what kind of direction are you setting for your listeners with the words you choose? James 3:6-10 says, "And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so."
We must think before we speak and proceed with great caution in choosing the words we say. We need to say what we mean and mean what we say because the fires of hell set ablaze the tongues of those who have loose lips and many words. James 1:19 says, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteous of God." Proverbs 12:6 says, "The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them." So let us ban words that destroy and speak words of life. Let us have a drive and determination that honors the God who gave us breath with the words we breathe.
Pastor John Boss
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