Your Slip is Showing

I grew up in a very small humble community in Mississippi in the latter sixties through the mid-eighties. During those days of my youth, we had a ‘clothes line’ or in some areas it was called a ‘washing line’.  Even though we had a washing machine and eventually an electric dryer, my mom insisted that we continue to hang our clothes on the clothes line to allow them to air-dry. Not like in many homes of today, there was no room inside the house to accommodate the machines, so there was a literal wash-house behind our house where the machines were located. Inside the wash-house was an indoor clothes line for our unmentionables. You know the kind of clothing that, ‘back in a day’,  were either too embarrassing or too offensive for accidental viewing. You know like your underwear, bloomers, drawers, panties, brassieres, etc. Of course, there were four females in the house and I could assure you neighbors or pedestrians did not want to have an extended visual of our underwear flapping in the wind creating a neurological pathway for later recall.  Hence the name, underwear… not meant to be a public spectacle.  

Unlike then, now we are allowing our underwear and our unmentionables to flap in the wind, metaphorically speaking.  We have allowed social media to create an environment of relaxation to where our comfort level, when it relates to private thoughts, have become way to public. Too much information is a gateway to confusion, arguments and disagreements that can escalate to violence and death. Everybody is not mature enough to handle our thoughts. We had a phrase for when people allow their words and behavior to self-condemn. You know how when you let certain things slip, sometimes due to rage and impulsivity, it was coined as ‘letting your slip show’. There is a lot of offensive information just hanging out there on social media. It did not get there by itself. So before you post anything on social media, ask yourself: Can I verify validity, could it actually be a lie since I wasn’t there, do I have the entire story or is this a clip, am I a pawn for Satan, is this bringing restoration or division, am I being a good witness for Christ?

Make no mistake, I believe in being transparent, however even with transparency there is a responsibility to know your audience. Every thought isn’t meant to be shared with the public. Has it become taboo to keep your anger and verbal lashings from public consumption? Some thoughts should only be shared with pre-approved audiences.  Whatever happened to bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5b?

For example, if I totally disagree with someone or believe an individual’s behavior is not in line with human reasoning, must I call the person “stupid” or “dumb”? Although, this would be considered a mild form of verbiage that has become acceptable among the public, even from the lips of the Saints. 

Loving reminder: Saints our speech should be edifying at all times. This does not preclude personal opinions or agreeing to disagree, but what it does preclude is putting limits on edification. Someone could argue that edification is subjective. The goal of edification is considering how to spur on each other into love and good works, Hebrews 10:24. Therefore, if that end goal isn’t met then the communication that is coming from the mouth is corrupt, to say the least. Ephesians 4:25-30, “²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. ²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil. ²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. ²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” 

I realize this is the era of the information age, but the word of God transcends any era and cannot be put on a shelf to satisfy and justify the carnal desire of simply being heard. Please allow your words to stand for something other than a personal agenda. If you must have an agenda, make sure the goal and the motivation benefit the kingdom and it reaches eternity. After all, only what we do for Christ will last. I had to delete my face-book account because my heart was breaking daily as I read posts from my brothers and sisters in Christ that did not resemble stretching across the aisle to offer long-suffering, grace, mercy, compassion, love and peace. I don’t know if anybody told you… but, “your slip is showing”. Pray for me as I pray for you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Lord have mercy on us all. In Jesus name, amen! 

The journey flows…