“Ouyay areay tupidsay!!” My oldest sister and I giggled and taunted to my sisters standing in the rhubarb patch below. We were perched on the block wall of the cow yard, prominently placed high above my less cool sisters.
We had spent hours practicing and perfecting our Pig Latin skills so much, that we could speak it fluently. (In my young teen years, I was so good at it that I managed to trick the guy at the lemonade stand at the county fair into thinking that I was from a foreign country, and scored myself a free lemonade because he was so impressed… 😊)
But as a grade-schooler, my oldest sister and I guarded the secret to this mysterious language and used it to hurl insults at those less informed. Unfortunately, my mom also knew Pig Latin and discovered that we were calling the other sisters names, so that was the end to our little charade.
Dear sisters in Christ, why do we too sit up high on our metaphorical cow yard wall and hurl insults at each other? The victims may not be standing in a jungle of rhubarb, but instead sitting behind a computer screen, or even standing right in front of us! The language may not be Pig Latin, but passive-aggressive, sarcastic tones, or even out-right mean comments!
Clarity is charity. This is something that I really struggle with when I am on the receiving end of those nasty comments. I hate rocking the boat, so instead of kindly addressing the situation, I get lost in a sea of muttering confusion, or just don’t say anything at all. We all deserve to be spoken to with respect, just like everyone deserves to be treated by respect from us as well. But I have discovered that I will refrain from holding the person who hurts me accountable for their words, and will not address it to them. Instead, I will die a little inside, then relive the situation over and over, and get angrier and angrier and finally hold a massive grudge.
Wouldn’t it be a lot easier, and a lot less emotionally taxing to just hold the other person accountable by saying, “Hey, that comment really hurt. I don’t think you were trying to be rude, but it came across that way.” Maybe it was a misunderstanding, which is now a great opportunity for the truth to come to light, or you are holding that person accountable to the words that they spoke, and if they did indeed mean them to come across that way, you now know to protect yourself from this person in the future.
Words have the ability to give life or to tear down. With the amount of negativity in this world, let’s not add to it. I pray that you pay attention to your words this week and only breathe life to those around you. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised with the results!
Until next time my dear friends- your sister in Christ,
Leah