“Let your conversation be gracious as well as sensible…” (Colossians 4:6a The Living Bible)
The happening that I’m about to tell you took place in one of those “malls” that was once a large store, but now the property owner rents out booths to small merchandisers. A father is with his son who had to be between 3-4-years old. A lady at the meat counter seemed set on buying a little of every type of meat that was enclosed in the refrigerated glass case. As soon as the butcher cuts and wraps up one type of meat, the lady motions to the butcher to come down to the far end of the case and ask, “How much is this per pound?” The butcher responds. The lady puts her fingers on her chin as if she has to hold it in place, and after what seems like an eternity, she says, “Give me one pound.” This scene keeps replaying over and over, like those repeated commercials that come on the channels that play old black and white TV series episodes. Both the lady and the butcher are getting their aerobic workout.
Meanwhile the father and son stand in the same space, waiting their turn. Suddenly, either the father reached the peak of his patience thermometer and/or Satan got involved. The father says to the lady, “Come on lady! We have to be somewhere! Give it a break!” The 3-4-year-old son, raises his voice, attempting perhaps to reach the decibel level of the father and like a talking parrot or mina bird, he says, “Yea! Come on lady! Give it a break!” The situation is elevated. The lady lets the man know that he would have to wait his turn! I can’t repeat her words, but I can tell you that a few expletives were included in her reply. The father’s temper becomes flared-up, and he escalates the situation by using a few choice expletive expressions too. As you would imagine, the 3-4-year-old son mimicked his father and uttered some of the same bad words, cuss words, vocabulary that he surely had no understanding of how such language should be disdained, despised, and definitely looked down on. I did not get involved, just moved on. I had witnessed enough of “the wait.”
As I walked around, I thought how responsible adults should not set such examples for their children. Furthermore, I concluded that adults, especially Christians, should try to put a halt on even the unspoken expletives that try to invade our minds. One more thing, my friend, I thought how I personally need to avoid euphemisms that sound like curse words and escape using them even in playful conversations, that take place in private places.
The songwriter, Horatio R. Palmer wrote some wise words in a hymn he composed in 1868, entitled, “Yield Not to Temptation,” “Shun evil companions, bad language disdain. God’s name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain.” Perhaps those familiar words were prompted by the scriptures above and below. Whatever the case, let’s commit to closing the door on bad language, both verbally, in our thoughts, in our playful dialogue, and in private.
Now, like the father described above, we may be tempted in “the wait” or in “the wherever” situations” we face, but we must continue to take advice from the same song I just mentioned, “Ask the Savior to help you. He is willing to aid you, and He will carry you through.”
Have a great day! Be blessed!
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29 New International Version)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King