Some of this is a repeat blog. It’s one I post periodically because I need. The world is a noisy place, and I need to be reminded. The world we live in tells us we can say what we want, how we want, when we want, to anyone we want, in any way we want. The world today tells us that our opinions and thoughts and our expressions of those opinions and thoughts are all that matter. That we have a right, and some would say a duty, to allow those opinions and thoughts to flow freely from our minds out of our lips and through our pens and keyboards, without filter. The world is wrong. Full stop.
The problem is that we can become so caught up in the world and our own entitlement that we spew forth our thoughts and opinions in an effort to persuade and influence others, often unchecked. Guilty as charged! Another problem is that the more we hear others offering opinions and thoughts, be it on the television, radio, in the store, or in print, the more of an obligation we feel to do the same. But, I heard a Bible verse last week on a program recently and it felt like it had my name on it:
Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
Proverbs 10:19 (NLT)
The less we say, the less we sin, Beth! And it’s rarely just what we say, it’s most often how we say it. Our tone, our attitude, our inflection, our words, our volume, our eyebrows matter. Sometimes(?) we’re just not nice.
In my humble opinion, I think our world could do with a little less thought and opinion and a little more thoughtfulness. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth gives some great advice for us who live in this world when it comes to what we say. Four questions to ask ourselves before we speak and offer our thoughts or opinions:
Is it kind? Is it wise? Is it true? Is it necessary (does it need to be said)?
Kind. Wise. True. Necessary. Running our thoughts and opinions through those filters may lead to a lot less picking and pecking. Running our thoughts and opinions through those commonsense filters may just help to lower the temperature in a world that’s running so hot (literally and figuratively) that it cannot hear the persuasive and influential love of Jesus.
WHEN DID IT GET OKAY? Initially posted, August 30, 2018.
You might have heard about my girls – my chicks – there are seven of them. I love those stinkin things. We do a lot of chicken watching at our house. During the day they run a muck – they cover every inch of our 12, every day, and where they go, they go all together. They’re flockers. They stick together unless someone’s sitting anest.
During the day they wander and at night they’re cooped up – it’s one of those two story jobs. Settling in for the night is a process, which doesn’t voluntarily begin before darkish. When dusk hits they instinctively head for their coop. Settling in for the night is a process for them. They take turns going in and out before the doors close. They run in and think about roosting then they run out for one last bite. In. Out. Bite to eat. Drink. Hop up. Hop down. Jostling. They chase each other and squeeze each other out, jockeying for the best roost position. If one tries to go up the ladder before another thinks they should, they get a peck or two on the head. Maybe even a pluck. Ouch Georgie Girl! Poor Ethel is always the last to ascend she’s most often pushed, pecked and bullied. It’s a tough crowd.
After finally ascending to the coop, the jockeying for position is not yet over. They move, they ruffle, they peck, they squawk. It’s constant. I try to intervene, to restore calm, but I’m reminded that it’s what chickens do. They’re animals – fowl, technically. They have a pecking order.
One thing I’ve noticed is that we, me, I, have chicken-tendencies. We, me, are not so different from them, really. We do the same sometimes. I know I do.
After watching the news the other day, I started thinking how very similar we are to my girls. We treat each other the same way my girls treat each other, and it’s permissible and acceptable. I wondered to myself – when did it get okay? When did it get okay to be mean? Push. When did it get okay to call people names? Squawk. When did it get okay to degrade other people? Bump. When did it get okay to mistreat others? Peck. When did it get okay to speak our minds without care for others’ tender hearts? Pluck. When did it get okay to say what we want, regardless of the cost to someone else? Scar. When did it get okay to bully? Jostle. When did it get okay?
Clearly, my chickens have not heard about the Greatest Commandment. Sometimes I act like I’ve not heard it either.
The most important commandment is this: Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,
All your mind, and all your strength.
and your neighbor as yourself.
Mark 12:29-31
According to Jesus, this is the most important commandment. Notice He gives us a few directions before we are to love each other. His directions are just that – listed in order of importance. First, he gets our attention. Then He identifies Himself. Next, He tells us exactly what we must do. He says:
Listen up folks!
I am the only God!
You must love Me with absolutely everything you have – heart, soul, mind, strength,
Only when you do that can you love your neighbor as you should.
Only by putting God first in our hearts, in our souls, in our minds, with all the strength that we have, can we love others as we should. He knew we would struggle with love because we are human, that’s why he gave us the directions – He’s shown us how to work this love thing.
God did not tell us to love our neighbors if we want to, if they love us first, if they’re loveable. He said love your neighbor as yourself. Do we do that? Do we love each other as we love ourselves – maybe. Maybe that’s our problem.
Paul tells us living in the Spirit – heart, soul, mind, strength – produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can pretty much tell if we’re living in the Spirit or living in the world by the fruits we produce. Will they know I’m a Christian by my love? By my words? By my deeds? By my eyes? By my life? The fruits are not to be practiced occasionally; they are to be how we live our life. They are to be practiced consistently. What a wonderful world it would be if we all immersed ourselves in the fruits.
We peck. We bump. We shove. We squawk. We pluck. We scar. We jostle. We act like animals. We act fowl. That’s the truth. Ugh! We need a Cross check. We are sinners living in a fallen world but that doesn’t excuse our actions. Because we are His we are to be of the world and not in the world. When did it get okay to peck, bump, shove, squawk, pluck, scar, or jostle each other? It didn’t. It never did. It’s just not okay.