“Finally, brothers and
sisters,
whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is
pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable
if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy
think about such things.”
Phillipians 4:8 NIV
“Now I lay me down to
sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep… “ Remembering
that sweet, child’s prayer, I am laying down the burdens of the day along with
my weary bones, seeking from the Lord a good night’s rest. This day has been long and my mind is full of
pictures I would rather erase. Written
in red permanent marker on my heart, I find it hard to escape the visual replay
and the tape recorded messages running through my mind. In a fit of rage that knows no boundaries and
bows to no god but self, we fling our stony words about as if they are landing
on steel poles that have no feelings and bear no scars.
The problem is, we are
flesh and blood persons, with hearts that break and bleed and carry the scars for a lifetime. What are we doing
when we disregard the boundaries of kindness with our words and throw them
to the wind, not caring where they land or how they wound? We were made in the image of our God,
tenderhearted and pure, seeking always the best in each of us and not willing
to tolerate evil. We were never made to hear or speak the vile, often, cruel verbal attacks that erupt all around us in today's world. I wonder, if unkind words can wound us so deeply, what do they do to the heart of God, who is the very essence of Love?
We live in a time when
anything goes, and that includes what we speak.
Verbal abuse is rampant.
It is laughed at on T.V. programs, as if degrading another person, made
in the image of God, is an entertaining sport.
And yet, there is something so deeply ingrained in our spirit that, I
believe, hiding beneath the false façade of toughness to the point of
brutality, we long for something better.
We are instinctively drawn to the loving kindness of the Lord. He keeps seeking us, drawing us, reminding
us, that we are made for something better.
We are made for Him.
As I seek His face at
the end of a difficult day, I pray this simple prayer. “Lord, tell me something good, tell me
something true, tell me something pure, tell me something lovely, tell me
something worthy of praise… Tell me that You love me. Tell me that You understand. Tell me about Jesus…”
