Redeeming a World of Noise

I want to be good.  I don't want to tease public figures who flay themselves with bizarre, non-sensical, and sometimes dangerous public comments. Unfortunately, sometimes I cannot resist. Like catnip to a cat, Troy Bolton to teenage girls, or Blackberry's to middle age men,  some things cannot be resisted. Enter Rev. Jessie Jackson. Last week Rev. Jackson said black lawmakers, "can't vote against health care and call yourself a black man."  This could be in my all-time top ten. Aside from the incoherence of a baptist reverend trying to moralize support for a health plan that includes government funded abortion, Jackson's statement reveals another speech abuse we all have,  illegitimate power.

How Rev. Jackson obtained the ability to revoke a person's race is unclear. He is baptist, like me (though I am not a Southern Baptist), and we can over-estimate our power at times, but rarely do we exhibit this much bravado. Imagine others throughout history using Jackson's self appointed power.

Napolean declares that a person, "can't resist French domination and call yourself short."

Pope declares that a person, "can't use birth control and call yourself left-handed."

Lincoln declares that a person, "can't vote against the union and call yourself hypoglycemic."

These statements seem silly because they overstate the speaker's power. We are so accustomed to it, however, we no longer care or notice. Words have become virtually meaningless, so we talk without thinking and think without listening. We often use words to assert power we don't have. In place of thoughtful and appropriate speech we air our opinions as if they are from the mouth of God Himself. The result is a noise that dominates our T.V.s, radios, break rooms, classrooms, dinner tables, and cell phones. From Rush to Hannity to you and I, everyone talks like their words have power, and yet in their multitude they are powerless.

Gossip, criticalness, complaining, boasting, cut-downs, sarcasm, etc.... are mostly illegitimate power plays.

Christ lived a life of humble charity and spoke life into others. This combination of truth and love gave His words great power. Christ-followers must do likewise. Our words must be tempered by sound thinking, a reflective heart, and a righteous life.  Words used as power-plays bring darkness and death. Words used in truth and love bring light and life.

Do you speak words of life or death? Try going one day saying only life-giving things. If you find it difficult, you're in the majority. Unfortunately, being a Christ-follower is a call to being in the minority. Our difficulty on this matter betrays a darkness in our hearts that must be repented of daily, hourly, moment by moment.

God's Kingdom is built on nobodies who become somebodies through this moment-by-moment exchange of death for life that comes from Christ.