What the …

Sometimes when a person is shocked, stressed, or surprised they scream out “What the” and then a very bad word.  As you travel around the world it seems that “bad words” are everywhere.  The interesting thing is that what a bad word is in America may not be in other parts of the world as well what is bad elsewhere may not be bad in America.  What I am getting at is that words have cultural relevance but the issue is not the word but the heart.

I had a friend that tried to replace bad words with the word “sugar”. This was admirable to reduce the bad language in their life but it amazed me that this person could make the word “sugar” sound like the worst bad word I had ever heard.  My dad would scream out the word RATS.  I still remember when he was hammering something and he hit his finger he yelled out “RATS”!

For years I thought saying bad words was not an issue. I was convicted when I read the Bible:

Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.  Ephesians 5:4(MSG)

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  Colossians 3:8-10(ESV)

it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”  Matthew 15:11(ESV)

What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.  Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  Psalm 34:12-14 (ESV)

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.  Colossians 4:6(ESV)

Do you say “bad words”?  Do you think it is OK?  Do you say words that are culturally acceptable in a non-thanksgiving heart?  Pray that your words and actions are acceptable to God!