Trash Talk
I hate gossip! It is so far from the character of God and it breaks my heart to see His people participate in it. James says it sets the whole course of a persons life on fire and the fire originates in hell. I often hear people say that others will not come to me because they think I am intimidating to which I have to laugh because of what intimidate means.
intimidate |inˈtimiˌdāt|
verb
frighten or overawe (someone), esp. in order to make them do what one wants
I am certain before God that I do not behave in a way that frightens people. That is hilarious! Now to be fair I do admit that I will not give an individual a blank check to say whatever he or she wants without making them defend what they are saying. I will stop you in your tracks if you try to run your mouth about something that is damaging to the body of Christ. But that is not intimidation that is integrity.
integrity |inˈtegritē|
noun
1 the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness
It is true that people will not bring trashy talk to me because I will not allow it. What about you? Do you let people trash the Body of Christ?
James 3:4-6 (New International Version)
4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
I’m totally with you. On talk- I think there are 2 kinds. Constructive (to build) or destructive (to tear down.) Every word we say has consequences in one direction or the other. My Grandmother Raglin, in describing why she admires my Grandpa so much, said “The thing about James is, you never hear him say anything ugly about anyone- because he does not condemn. Other people sense that, and they love him, and want to be better as a result.”
That is pure Christianity. Jesus Christ came not to condemn the world, but to save it.
It’s so easy to be critical in this evil world. Its all over the media whether it be judging someone’s words or actions to even the simplest things that should mean nothing like a fashion sense. Negativity as a whole encompasses everything we are a part of and it seems to be getting worse and worse. Once your entangled in it, lets say starting with your tongue, its like being in a spider web. It sticks to which ever part you draw to remove it. Your thoughts to your tongue to your actions. I love this quote.
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” – Thoreau
As far as trash talk goes I learned the ugly truth of that spirit in prison. Living with over a thousand female inmates for 4 years I learned to control my tongue. The tongue gets us in so much trouble. That was one of the reasons I was so afraid to give my testimony at church last year. I was scared about what people would say about me. My Grandma (who is a very active church member elsewhere) told me not to tell my story because people would always talk about me behind my back. She even went as far as to say they wouldn’t let their children play with mine! Because of mistakes I made over 14 years ago! She is very close with her “church friends” and I have to wonder how you grow within the body of Christ if you’re always worrying about what so and so is saying about you.
I knew sharing my testimony was what God wanted me to do and He gave me what I needed to conquer that fear. You know what? If they talk, they talk. It really doesn’t matter to me because I’m in line with His will and as long as I stay that way nothing else really matters.
Same goes for you (Jimmy). Yes, I think some people are intimidated by you. When I first met you I felt that way a little bit. I think because I had an idea in my head of what I perceived a pastor to be like. I thought about the preacher I grew up listening to as a child. He was much older, very conservative, wore a suit every Sunday and tip toed around a lot of the dicey topics. He was always smiling and I felt like he wanted to say the right thing to everyone. I know a lot of preachers only give sermons on what they think the body of believers wants to hear. After all, if you make someone mad you could lose a good giver in the church.
I’m saying all that because I have never felt you are that way at all. You are a straight shooter even when it’s not the most comfortable topic to preach on we still need to hear it. Just like last Sunday. Man, I needed to hear that. Thank you! I didn’t realize my own sin would really be causing a trickling effect within our church, but I get it. You always break things down in the word in a way that we can understand then apply it to our lives in today’s world. Your passion is contagious! It has brought me so much closer to God and that in turn has changed my whole life including my marriage and the way I parent. Thank you for stepping out and being different even when it’s not what “fits the mold”. It gets me fired up about Jesus every week!
Carrie you are a trophy of God’s grace! Thanks for sharing.