Watch your language

Back in the day when I was a lad and ol’ Shep was a pup, if anyone got angry and said something off color, most grown ups would say “watch your language!!!” or threaten to wash our mouths with soap.

However, just up the road from the old homestead where we lived was another homestead where two older brothers lived. I can still see them with the team and bobsled heading for the timber to get wood.

The older one named John would demean the younger one and cuss at him til the air was blue. Taking the name of the Lord time and time again. It did something to my Spirit and somehow I knew I should never say that in vain.

Once becoming a teenager, however, I ran off to root with the hogs, becoming a real prodigal son. And my language reflected the company I kept. But the Lord wouldn’t let me take His name in vain.

It is such a serious thing to do so - the third commandment. Being born again changed everything of course. The first thing to go was my bad language.

Recently, I chased, for a few days, under a 88 line machine to help out. The operator kept taking the Lord’s name in vain. I don’t think he even realized what he was say’n. He, be’n about 60-years-old, so I sez, “You know a man your age should know better then take the Lord’s name in vain.”

He looked shell-shocked. After a brief silence sez, “Must sound pretty bad huh?”

“Yup,” sez me, “Sure does.”

He promised to watch his language, which he did.

Another man I cut timber with for once had quite the vocabulary, mostly directed at the help. So I sez to him, “What would your Mother say if she heard you swearing like that?”

Another shell-shocked look. Then he admitted she would slap his mouth.

And it ain’t just men. We heard recently a woman, a new member of Congress, called President Trump a word I shall not repeat. To use the name of the person who is so near and dear to us in such a vulgar and disrespectful way is appalling. She took her oath on the Koran. I doubt if Ol’ Mohammad would even say that.

So we try to be a light in the world that’s get’n darker. We’re all sinners and by God’s grace through Christ we can watch our language.