“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 grade schoolers, my oldest sister and I guarded the secret of 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 of 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 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 outright mean comments!
Clarity is charity. This is something that I 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 with 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, get angrier and angrier, and finally hold a massive grudge.
Wouldn’t it be much easier and less emotionally taxing to just hold the other person accountable by saying, “Hey, that comment 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 an excellent opportunity for the truth to come to light, or you are holding that person accountable for their words and sass. 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 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
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