Issue 207 - Words that are Worthy
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October 2019
“Sticks and stones may break my bones / but words can never hurt me.” Unfortunately, that rhyme is false; words often cause deep psychic wounds. Just this month a former Boston College student was
charged with manslaughter for sending thousands of text messages encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself. Others have been
convicted of similar crimes
.
Just days before this latest news broke, our morning prayer offered these words, “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
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“Let no offensive talk pass your lips, only what is good and helpful to the occasion, so that it brings a blessing to those who hear it” (Ephesians 4:29,
Revised English Bible).
We found these words in our morning prayer last week. We certainly did not find them on social media, nor on the evening news. And too seldom in our own conversation.
It is so easy to get caught up in the swirl of accusations and name-calling that you find in the comments on many social media posts. Among the attack ads and soundbites that substitute for public discourse, there seems to be little room for kindness and blessing.
As a child, I heard the advice, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” That is not, it seems to me, what Ephesians is saying. Blunt warnings and direct reproof may, at times, be good and helpful – just what the situation calls for. Jesus was not afraid to name evil when he saw it.
Still, before we hit “send” on the email, or “post” on social media, before the snarky comment passes our lips, we should apply the Ephesians standard. Is this helpful to the occasion? Is it edifying, as some other translations of that verse put it? Will this bring a blessing to those who hear it or read it? If not, what good reason is there to justify our words?
Norvene Vest suggests that God calls us all to be “beneficial presences” in the communities in which we live.
[1] The quality of our presence will often be determined by the words that we say and the messages that we send. May they always be good and helpful.
-- Bill
[1]
Norvene Vest,
Preferring Christ: A Devotional Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict
(Morehouse, 2004), 236.
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That day, shortly after morning prayer, I picked up the latest issue of
Christian Century magazine
only to notice an article by
James K.A. Smith, “
Evil We Can’t Explain: Augustine’s response to an abiding problem.” Evil talk is a noticeable manifestation of something much deeper, I would say, and I believe that Augustine would agree. In his writings it becomes clear that Augustine struggled with the presence of evil, as he saw it, most of his early life. He tried to stave it off until he could no longer, and had to face it head-on: “Where and whence is evil? How did it creep in? What is its root and what is its seed?”
Smith writes: “For Augustine, the question turns inward. Not only are the atrocities that others commit inexplicable; there is a dark mystery to the evil that drives his own behavior. Evil is out there, other,
and it is in here, all too close and yet unfathomable.” Furthermore, “Augustine calls us to confront evil without trying to explain it.”
The Letter to the Ephesians is calling us to speak only words that are edifying. Similarly, most theologians I have read suggest the best way to deal with evil is to keep it in its proper place. Within the perspective of Christian faith all is seen in relation to God’s infinite love for each one, his wisdom, power, and personal providence over every human life. Within that perspective we see the need for being on guard against the personal powers of darkness, but we also see the limitation of those powers, and can live peacefully, without unhealthy fears, with ready confidence of overcoming evil by the loving power of God’s Spirit within us.
--Jan
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Dear Friends, in a recent issue we celebrated 10 years and 200 issues of this newsletter. We also shared with you our dreams and plans for expanding
Soul Windows Ministries. We are so grateful to you for your feedback, support, encouragement, gratitude, and especially those of you who took the time to write us notes, emails, or cards. We appreciate you so much.
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Two videos about words that are worthy
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Recent Issues
Issue 177 - Mr. Rogers
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Copyright (c) 2019 Soul Windows Ministries
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Sincerely,
Bill Howden and Jan Davis
Soul Windows Ministries
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