9:16 AM
There can be little doubt that our speech and vocabulary continually evolve. Actually, there's no doubt. Brace yourselves, because I'm going to use at least one word that may raise your eyebrows.
I loved to read the sometimes morbid stories in Grimm's Fairy Tales when I was a kid. That's where I learned what a "faggot" was -- a bundle of sticks. But even Mirriam-Webster doesn't think that's what it means now.
And then there are some words that have always been "sentence enhancers" (tip of the hat to Spongebob and Patrick for that phrase). There is little doubt that these can't be called "good words" -- they didn't evolve from older words, but were invented to be "bad" (or to convey intense feeling or emotion) from the start.
I had a conversation not long ago with some friends about one particular word that seems to fall into a gray area (or "grey" area -- that's a word that's seen its spelling evolve in America). It's a word that would describe what a vacuum cleaner does when it's functioning correctly. To me, there's no doubt that this is not a good word to use -- it has other immediate connotations. Our conversation led to discussion of other words, some that we agreed about on levels of "badness," some that we didn't.
Seems like Philippians 4:8 and Psalm 19:14 can mean different things to different people. And I don't say that with any condescension; I mean it.
But I think I've come up with the perfect litmus test!
It dawned on me this morning as I prayed about a friend's particularly bad situation that I would never ever tell God, "Lord, this situation s---s."
You see where I'm going with this, no doubt. If there's a word, a phrase, or an attitude that you find that you couldn't speak or convey to God in good conscience, I would argue that it's most likely not acceptable speech or thought, period.
I have not gone through a long list of words or phrases to prove to myself that this is true across the board, but I'm betting I know where it will come out if and when I do. I'm also not even for a moment hinting somehow that I've "arrived" and have purged all this stuff from my life and my speech and my thought processes, but I can definitely say that I've started down that road.
I will not ever pray, "God, please make this idiot in front of me drive the speed limit." Not that I've ever thought that any car on the road contained an idiot, of course...
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Not my usual post, thought it needed a warning!
I was in Barnes & Noble the other day, and noticed something that ...
6 comments:
Hi Dean, people do read your blog...
My opinion is that there are no "bad words" in a prayer. I find my most effective prayers would sometimes make a sailor blush. The reason is that God knows these words too. He isn't shocked by them. Nor is he shocked my the emotions that cause them.
The story of Job comes to mind. Dropping the King James from the story, it is obvious that Job was vexed at God. Ok, let's be honest. Job told God off. I doubt that the full extent of his inner prayers during this vexing time would have used much of the word "vexed". I have a feeling that he would have used words that would have burnt off a few eyebrows.
However, is there anyone in the Bible that got a more direct response from God than Job? He told God off and then God told him off. He really got to know exactly where he stood with God. He might not have liked it (cough Jonah), but he learned how God works and thinks more than anyone else.
So, my OPINION is that praying and using the words that come to mind is an ok thing. Yeah telling God off and cussing him out during an offertory prayer might not be a good thing, but telling God that having a friend lose an infant drops the local barometric pressure during your quiet time is ok.
-Ralph
ditto, Ralph. Although I'd much rather have the ability to ban the words from my vocabulary totally, I'd say if anyone can handle them, it's God. Maybe he can help me realize how stupid it is to get angry over these situations that I have no control over, and help remove them from my mind permanently eventually...
I definitely see your point, and it would be kind of silly to try to hide your emotions from the One who made us to have emotions. You're certainly right about being completely forthright and open, no matter how we're feeling or how dark the situation and emotion.
However, that shouldn't make us feel like we have license to be irreverent. (You may not exactly have been saying that, though.)
Job's wife encouraged him to curse God (so that Job would die). According to the Scriptures, Job never did so.
At the end of the book, Job talks to God about the way he prayed. He says (in the words of The Message paraphrase), "You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?' I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me..."
I didn't mean to say that we can curse God, just that we should be open with our emotions. I think God fully understands the statement "This stinks and I don't know why you are letting it happen.". I think Jesus's prayer in the Garden was a good model for us. He didn't like it, he begged God to "take the cup away from him". He pleaded and begged for another way besides the cross. However, in the end, he yielded to God's will and did what he had to do.
My big thing is I don't want anything to stand between me and God during prayer time. I don't want to be worrying about the write words to use, the right speling or grammer which are correct. I just want to tell him what I think and let him tell me what he thinks.
-Ralph
I agree.
Let me tell you about my Uncle Ken... Because of his lifestyle I never thought he could be a 'believer'. He was a heavy drinker ..he regularly cussed. Then he died suddenly and I was very distressed that Uncle Ken never knew my God. Then my Mom told me about his poetry they had found. In this poetry he talked candidly but respectfully to God. God knew his heart, cuss words and all. Not only does that humble me as a Christian about my judgemental attitude but it pleases me that he believed in a higher power. God knows your heart whether you verbalize it properly or not.
Connie
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