A friend described me the other day as someone with a quick
wit, and I took that as a compliment. Then I began to think about how a quick
wit can so rapidly turn into a quick hit to another’s feelings. I’m a big fan
of humor and I wish to spend my life laughing. However, I know how easily
sarcasm can sourly hit someone’s soul unintentionally. The conversations
usually start innocently enough. A sarcastic comment here, a laugh there, you go
back and forth and then suddenly a comment seems to fly out unintended and then
someone’s hurt or embarrassed. It’s like a paper cut---it happens so fast and
you don’t see it coming until there’s a stinging pain and blood is spilling out.
If you’re on the receiving end of that hurt, you usually try to recover swiftly
by tossing a joke but that sting in your heart tells you that the damage has
been done. If you delivered the sting, you try to laugh it off, but you can
feel the tension. I’ve been on both sides, and neither side feels good.
A few days ago, my roommate and I were talking about what
Jesus laughs about. I mean, we know that he laughs because he created us with
that ability. But we don’t have those verses in the Bible where Jesus is making
a joke and nudging his disciples. I have no doubt that Jesus laughed while on
earth because he is the giver of joy. However, I do expect that he never
laughed at the expense of others. That’s the thing about sarcasm…it eventually
makes you into a very cynical person. You begin to forget that words have power.
The Bible said that life and death are in the tongue. Check out Matthew 12.
Matthew 12:36-37 – Let me tell you something: Every one of
these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time
of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your
salvation. Words can also be your damnation (MSG).
I can be very sarcastic at times in an effort to gain a
laugh, but there comes a point when I know I’m going too far. I feel it in my
soul. I might not even hurt anyone but I know that something is changing in my
own soul because of the words that I am speaking, whether in jest or not. The
thing about sarcasm is that though it may present an opportunity to laugh, it
taints what could be a fruitful conversation. It forces you to hide behind a
mask of joking and doesn’t allow you to relate to other people. You cannot
speak life into people if you’re too busy twisting words. You also can’t speak
life into yourself.
Now, am I saying we can’t joke? No. I’m saying that I
personally know when I can hear the Holy Spirit keeping me in check. I see the
results when I don’t listen and when I do. Usually, when I find myself soaking in
sarcasm, it’s because I’m not paying attention to a deeper problem in my soul. I’m
probably not spending enough time in the Word, and therefore I’m trying to find
joy in the surface rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to swim in the deep. And
if we’re searching for real joy rather than a sad counterfeit, we can find that in presence of Christ.
Psalm 16:11— You will
show me the way of life, granting me the JOY
of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever (NLT).
No comments:
Post a Comment