Blankety, Blank, Blank
I remember a time I used to excel at the use of foul language. I took profanity to a level that could be considered an art form. There are some words I could use as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and other variations, all in the same sentence. I had a few favorites, a few I would save for special occasions, and the ones I would slip in the middle of ordinary words, such as “fan-blanken-tastic”, or “un-blanken-real”.
I am not proud of this past, and it took considerable effort to curb my vocabulary and eliminate “most” of these words. I’m far from perfect – these words still slip in from time to time, just to visit awhile and remind me how they used to dominate my conversations.
Children are the best gauges to how well we are at keeping these “bad words” out of our house. Their ears pick up new words and phrases, and then they test them out on each other. As adults, we must set the example in our house… and when we slip, we must accept the punishment.
My children know Daddy plays by the same rules. This is important to them in teaching right from wrong. By the way, a few pointers from my experience: bar soap taste much better than most liquid hand soap, anti-bacterial soap may cause dry heaves, and liquid dishwasher soap leaves a taste in your mouth that won’t go away for days – perhaps because it causes chemical burns on the tongue, but I’m just guessing.
Oh, and one more thing, hiccups can cause unexpected and often embarrassing bubbles many hours after paying the consequences. Also, unexpected and embarrassing bubbles while at a business meeting can be difficult to explain.
As Christians, I believe we are called to eliminate these words from our vocabulary. That doesn’t make it any easier, yet having a directive given to us in Scripture is good motivation (coupled with bad tasting soap). The very description of the word, profanity, sets the language apart from God. Let’s take a closer look:
The word “profanity” is not a modern term. As we look at the roots for the word, we find it derives from the words pro (”out of”) and fanum (”temple”) to mean “out of the temple.” In the Old Testament there were two states of being, the sacred and the profane. The profane referred to what was not holy, or not of God. When we call ourselves Christians, we are calling ourselves “of God” or “of God’s people” – in calling ourselves Christians, we calling ourselves away from that which is profane.
Some may just call profanity simple words and claim the old cliché, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Yet God’s Word contradicts this way of thinking.
While our mouths and the words we speak may seem very small and unimportant, their impact is a reflection of who we are and what course in life we follow. We find this in James 3:3-5, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example; although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”
Here James reflects on how something small is a great force by the examples given. This is amplified when we consider the profanity we speak most often curses actions, objects, or other people. James compares this profane vocabulary with the manner in which we worship God in James 3:9-10, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”
Our mouths speak a variety of words throughout our days. We give instructions, answer questions, greet others, sing songs, and mumble to ourselves (well, at least some of us mumble… I flat out yell at myself sometimes, but that’s a topic for another article). Our words have a powerful influence on the people around us, as well as ourselves. We can and are persuaded by our own words… our state of mind and our emotions will be changed by the words we speak.
What affect does profanity have over our hearts? What affect does it have on the hearts of others? Is this what God is calling us to do?
Well, I for one, believe He would have me turn to a more wholesome diet, soap free, without any unexpected or embarrassing bubbles. <Hiccup>
Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com
