The Road to Sixty – Day 82
What about the Words?
A friend of mine today wrote about a concern for his son that was around a group of young people in his school that had the habit of cursing.
He was asking about courses of action to keep his son encouraged.
After seeing several suggestions from his peers, I thought what if I went to my youth group to get the answers for him.
I opened up my class tonight by discussing situation of this young man. I’ve been asked my youth group the question “how many of you are confronted by this?”
Every single hand went up in the air.
My heart sank.
I don’t know what has happened to us in our life where foul language or cursing is encouraged and glorified and accepted.
I don’t think there’s a single person that knows that the actions portrayed by the words they speak affect others.
When I asked for suggestions from them, they said, most of the time we don’t speak up for the fear of the persecution that might follow. One said , I did talk to a friend who had the habit of using bad language and when I did they began to respect me more and not to use it around me.
I would say that this would be the stronger temptation in many of our lives. Where it’s not just cursing, it is also gossip, slander, it’s understanding that by our words people know the real us.
Young people today, and adults too are inundated with foul, suggestive, inappropriate language. Whether it be in movies, music, video games, books. It is all around us.
But it doesn’t make it right.
And as one of my kids said tonight, we are all desensitized to it.
Yes, many times we don’t even blush when we hear this type of language.
Do I have an answer? Well tonight as I write this I am praying for that young man, I am also praying for my entire youth group as they must live in this world while trying to live for God.
I pray they will blush.
I pray that their language will be that of what God expects us to speak. I pray they will choose words wisely, speak gracefully and remember who they belong to.
Can they do it? Yes, they are stronger than the world, they belong to Christ!
Till tomorrow…
Jerry Elder 