Remember the television show Art Linkletter used to have, where he would ask children various questions, and get some of the funniest responses? Children can still surprise you by what they say. With Karen being an elementary school teacher, I can testify to this personally. However, not everything they say is amusing. I’m amazed at the profanity some of these children use. Not mild terminology, mind you, but sometimes blunt, graphic obscenities. A shame isn’t it, for these children to so speak, as we know this is the type of filth they’ve been exposed to at home, on television and elsewhere. The innocence of childhood is lost for some to the influence of the world.
Similarly, sometimes I’m amazed at the language and conduct of Christians. We are to reflect the purity of life that comes from being a child of God. “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). This means our speech is to be pure, wholesome, reflecting our relationship with God. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
A shame, isn’t it, for Christians to use language that reflects more of the world than it does God? Not mild terminology, mind you, but sometimes blunt, graphic obscenities. We know this is the type of filth they’ve been exposed to at home, on television and elsewhere. The innocence of being children of God is lost for some to the influence of the world. “And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'” (Matthew 18:2-3).
Perhaps, we should redirect our attention to words like these. “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled” (Titus 1:15). “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
