My routine is pretty much the same each morning. I feed the cat, make my coffee, pour my bowl of cereal for people 45 and older (Kashi shredded wheat) and I read the paper. One of the first sections I turn to is the Letter to the Editor section. I turn there because I like to read the exchange of ideas. But there are other times (and I hate to admit this) I go to the Letter to the Editor section much like a person goes might go to a NASCAR race - you want to see a good race but every now and then you hope for something exciting like a someone going into a wall or even a ten car wreck. You don't wish for it but when it happens you take it all in.
Sometimes reading those Letters to the Editor is like watching car careening all over the highway and eventually running into each other. Sometimes they bump. Sometimes they scrape. But often times there are verbal head on collisions and the damage is done. Sometimes there are injuries and people are hurt. But, I'm not surprised. Writing Letters to the Editor is often like writing an angry email - you feel pretty courageous in what you have to say because you don't actually have to sit before an actual person and see their actual face and realize they are an actual human being. We can hit "Send" and are opinions and "take on things" is not on it's way.
Don't get me wrong. I am not saying the Letters to the Editor is a bad thing to have. Sometimes you take the bad with the good. For that reason, it's an important part of our democracy. It allows folks to speak their mind and share their thoughts. But, I wish that a certain level of civility and graciousness could be part of the process. Like seasoning one's food with just the right amount of salt or pepper, it would be nice for folks to season their speech with just the right amount of humility, graciousness, and respect.
In one of his Epistles, the Apostle Paul wrote: "Let your speech always be gracious..." (Colossians 4:6) Paul seemed to get it. He seemed to understand that how we talk to people and about people makes a different. How we share our ideas, thoughts, and opinions is just as important as the content of our ideas, thoughts, and opinions. This becomes especially important given the prevalence of negative advertising over the next two weeks. It literally becomes the air we breathe. As we breathe in the negativity, cynicism, and even disrespect, we begin to manifest it in our lives. Paul has a better idea. Season your conversation with a gracious spirit and with gracious words. Not only for the benefit of the person you speaking with but also for the benefit of who you represent. We represent a most gracious God - a God who would never demean or disrespect.
At a more everyday level, I am often amazed at the number of folks I hear that speak about others with a low-level contempt. They may not slander but I have heard folks refer to others as an "idiot" or a "moron" or even a "jerk." If they can't come up with a suitable name, they may engage in the kind of gossip which seems harmless but only serves to reinforce or judgmental spirit within our soul. What makes this even more heartbreaking is that I often hear this from folks who claim to be followers of Jesus. For some reason, we often save our most biting contempt for those we are closest to - family, neighbors, even church friends.
In their book Gracious Christianity, authors Douglas Jacobson and Arther Sawatsky write:
"We have a gracious gospel. The good news that Jesus proclaimed is that God is graciously disposed toward us. God loves us, and, indeed, God loves everyone and every good thing in this wonderful world in which we live. We are expected to do the same. The gospel invites us to mimic God's own graciousness in our lives. It calls us to become so enveloped in God's graciouness that we become conduits of God's grace and love for others. Graciousness is a nonnegotiable dimension of Christian faith. It goes to the very core of the gospel. It is what makes the gospel good news."
We are invited to do more then just believe in the good news. We are invited to share it, live it, and even reflect it in how we speak to one another. The scriptures invites us to let our speech always be gracious. Not sometimes. Not when I like the person. Not when it's convenient or I am in a good mood. But always. There might not be much you and I can do to save the negative political ads at this point. But, there is certainly alot we can do in being gracious to each person we meet, each person we talk to, each person we talk about. Let graciousness prevail. Let it rule your heart. Let it season your speech.
How hard is it for you to remain gracious when sharing your ideas?
How do you graciously respond to an ungracious person?
Where do you see God at work in your speech?
1 comment:
I think you are absolutely right. The only time I may get upset while giving an opinion is if someone thinks they are totally right and what I have to say is of no value. I don't like to be put down! Also, I try hard not to talk about people and put them down because I don't want people to do that to me! I figure whoever wins this election passes through God's Hands, so whatever happens, happens.
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