Story by Scotty Gray.
I was just thinking…
…about what we say and what they see.
Previously, I spoke about how great we Christians are at justifying (or self-justifying) our thoughts and actions. Way too often we hear something that we like, which will take the responsibility off of our shoulders in regards to living a Godly life. This responsibility has two facets; to allow us to live in a way that brings us, and keeps us, close to our Creator – and the example which helps others see His nature. Again, however, we often hear some “ear tickling” statement or an entire “sermon” which we really like because it goes along with our worldly comfort. such as: “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction, but wanting to have their ears tickled…. (2nd Timothy, chapter 4, verse 3).
This, what I’ll call “slovenly attitude”, is part of the natural “devolution” of humanity. If you look at old paintings, and then old pictures, you will see what care people took in regards to their appearance. During the Victorian era for example, men in the lowliest jobs would still wear a coat, and even vest and tie or kerchief. Women wore dresses and petticoats while working in hot factories where no one would even care in the slightest about their attire. Although fashions have changed, this attitude remained strong for centuries.
I remember my father, in the 1950s and 60s, who, as a department store manager, would wear a suit and tie every day to work. Then, when doing manual labor on weekends, he would convert to the “blue collar” look – denim colored work shirt, dark blue work pants and polished black leather shoes. This attire was what most in the manufacturing sector wore every day on the job. Again, one could ask the question, “who cared what you were wearing?”
Who cared? We did! We took pride in how we looked; not in an arrogant, “look at me” way, but in a way that showed we cared about our general appearance.
Language, as well, has gone down that slippery slope of “who cares?” What was once referred to as “talk like a sailor” has become the commonplace language of the average man or woman. Profanities pepper our conversation with such regularity that it’s lost its pepperiness. The dignity of the titles “ladies and gentlemen” has become the commonplace of men and women. Oftentimes, the insertion of profanities don’t even fit in the sentence: “I was walkin’ down the “f-in’” street when I saw this “f-in’” guy…
Back in June I spoke of a local Christian businessman I know who contends that using profanities in his conversations with the unsaved is a way of better relating to them. It’s like saying that the only way someone from Australia will relate to us is if we adopt an Ausie accent. Let’s face the fact that English is English, and profanity is profanity. The latter is completely unnecessary for the former to be understood. (* Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.” Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 29.)
So, what’s the point of this diatribe? Simply this: when we go to a special event, we typically wear nice things, and we use our best speech. Why? Because it’s a “special event” and we try to live up to the environment. As Christians, we should always live up to the environment – the world God created – and represent Him well. So, next time you go to the grocery store, put away the pajama pants and put on a nice pair of slacks (ok, jeans) and a nice top – you might even impress yourself when you go past a mirror…and to reiterate something your parents might have told you, “watch your language” – you might also impress yourself as to how eloquent you can be.
…and that’s something was just thinking…on Q 90 fm.
My real-life brother, Scotty, is a DJ at the Q90 FM,
a Christian radio station in Green Bay Wisconsin.
* Our dad always told the seven of us kids, that only ignorant people resort to swearing because they are too lazy to find the right word to use instead.
Sentences with an asterisk are comments added by the editor.
Leave a Reply