Imagine that person you know who cusses the most. He or she can’t speak a sentence that would not be bleeped for television. Some people use so many four-letter words, you lose track of what they are trying to say, their sentences being so filled with meaningless interjections that the subject and verb are lost in the maelstrom. And it’s not just the language. If you look deeper, there is often bitterness in their hearts. Bitterness and a deep anger, like the red heat of a blacksmith’s furnace.
Sometimes those among us with the most foul mouths are actually the most upset. Some have suffered abuse by a parent or similar childhood trauma. And with their heart broken their internal life is agony. The easiest quick-fix for that hurt is to bury it under crusty, harsh language, and a cynical, sarcastic approach to life: never trusting, never expecting good, never allowing yourself hope.
The trouble is, you must heal the heart. A lifetime of bitter, angry curses will only destroy the curse-er … and everyone close to him.
The Bible tells the story of two cursers, Nabal and Shimei, and both suffered terrible deaths.
“He loved cursing—let it fall on him. He took no delight in blessing—let it be far from him. He wore cursing like his coat—let it enter his body like water and go into his bones like oil. Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself, like a belt he always wears” Psalm 109:17-19.
I like the imagery in verse 19: “let it be like a robe he wraps around himself.”
Imagine wrapping yourself in a robe of your own words. Because that is what life is. If you are a bless-er, you will be blessed. But if you are a curse-er, you will be cursed. Consider Grandpa. He never spoke a single cuss word in the fifty-five years I knew him. Not one. He spoke words of blessing and goodness, and what happened? As he aged, he grew happier and more cheerful.
Watch your language—because life will make you wrap it around yourself like a robe. (Do you really want to dress in that filth?)
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Household Words: 