Every careless word...

A better way.

Matthew 12:35-37 ESV

The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Seems every time I turn around, someone sends me a screenshot of some slanderous thing someone has said about me somewhere on the internet. Calling me names, twisting my words, and making a “big, ugly deal” out of something where they only know a part of the story.

Yes, it’s painful.

My feelings about the slanderous comments can range from anger to discouragement. But sometimes, I have to laugh. The comments are so outrageous and out of character for what I work hard to do and say.

I work hard, to tell the truth, to be consistent, and to be honest and admit when I don’t know the answer to a question. I really don’t know where the hate and the slander come from.

Or why.

All I know to do is to carry on.

Every day, I need to follow the instructions of Ephesians 6:10-17

I put on the whole armor of God so that I can stand against the schemes of the devil.

I remind myself we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, the authorities, and the cosmic powers over this present darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I need to put on all the armor so I will be able to withstand the evil spoken toward me, and in the end, I will have done all I know to do to stand firm.

Therefore, I do my best to cinch the belt of truth—the Word of God—and remain grounded in the gospel of peace. I don’t fire back or defend myself against the haters. I will let God deal with them.

Do you have similar experiences in your life – personally, at work, with family members – where you are covered with the mud and slime of unkind words or other slanderous statements? It’s easy for anonymous persons to sling insults on the internet, but when you are confronted by those you know or, worse, those you love and care about, what is your response?

Do you get defensive?

Do you fight back?

Do you “set the record straight”?

Maybe it’s best to stand on how the Word tells us to respond:

Matthew 5:44 ESV

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Luke 6:28 ESV

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Romans 12:14 ESV   

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

It’s hard to do.

Our normal human reaction is “an eye for an eye” mentality, to punch back harder, louder, stronger. But does that get us anywhere? Not so much in the eyes of God.

Today’s prayer

Thank you, Father, for your guidance and strength. Be with us, Lord, in our daily battles. Shield us as much as possible from the nastiness of the world. We’re sad. We’ve been wounded. But with your Grace, we carry on. Thank you for reminding us to put on Your full armor every day, not just when we think we might need it. Thank you so much. In Jesus name, we pray, amen.