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Mean What You Say Part 1

by Tony Grater
10/19/16
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A common theme that keeps re-occurring with me lately in my walk with God is all the hatred I see in the world today. And not just hatred with violence, that has always been a problem. And with all the terrorist attacks, and mass shootings, and hatred towards the police, people of different religions, different races and just people who are different, we all see that hatred front and center every day. But this goes beyond the hatred of our actions. I’m talking about the hatred of our words, of our minds and hearts, which most of us don’t see, but in reality, is where it all begins.

Before any person is shot, any terrorist attack is carried out, any peaceful protest turns violent, any woman is chastised for breastfeeding in public, hatred begins in our hearts, then comes out in our words, and then comes out in our actions. And it's been rampant lately, in every walk of life. In politics, in religion, and even in the way we deal with and talk to people. Most of the time it’s directed at people we don't even know, but it can also occur with friends and family. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen or experienced arguments with friends where a difference of opinion turns ugly, or a misunderstanding with a family member gets nasty, and the next thing you know, people aren’t talking to each other anymore. The hate is out there, and it’s disturbing.

I know I’m not breaking any new ground here. Hate has ALWAYS been here. And I’ve had many discussions with people over the years who tell me the world is no different today than it was 30-40, or even hundreds or thousands of years ago. I humbly disagree, but I understand why they think this way. Most say the lack of social media years ago kept the same amount of hatred hidden, or off the radar. This may or may not be true, but I think social media has a lot to do with why it HAS gotten worse. Look, social media is great. I’m a constant on Twitter with tweeting about sports, and Facebook with my bus driver rants (which are mostly in good fun), and Instagram with posting pictures of my family, and I love it. Social media is good for reconnecting with friends you haven’t seen in a long time, or family members on the other side of the country, or even making new friends. And it’s also great for posting your opinions on different things, whether it’s sports, or politics, or religion, or whatever. That part of social media, I'm all for. The downside to it is that it also gives a voice and forum to people who have hate in their hearts, and want to put that hatred out there in words. And when that happens, all bets are off as to what the reaction will be. Most of the time, it’s countered with more hate. Someone posts an opinion that is not popular, and everyone jumps on them and calls them every name in the book, as if that somehow makes it better. And I’ve done this in the past, I’m as guilty as anyone. But that’s not who I am, or who I want to be anymore. Thankfully,  in my worst moments, my anger never escalated beyond words But that's not always the case, an unpopular opinion can actually lead to violence. And unfortunately, we have seen a lot of that lately.

Hatred with words can be just as powerful as hatred with actions. But most times, we don’t see this. We blow it off most times cause think we’re justified in our hate. We hate someone who doesn’t support our opinion, our political stance, our method of parenting, our belief (or unbelief) in a Creator. We’re all entitled to these different opinions, and to voice our disagreement with someone,  but most of the time we don’t think about our words before we respond to them. And the reality is, words can cut, words can hurt, and most importantly…words can kill. That is why we need to be careful, and when we say something, we better mean what we say.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21

Please watch for the 2^nd part of this series tomorrow. Until then, God bless.