Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Anger”
Our Bible verse for today: “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’, ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Use words that are true and accurate.”
One of the most damaging things we can do in a heated discussion is to use inaccurate speech, broad generalizations, or exaggeration. When we allow our speech to be driven by our emotions we will often end up using extreme language that exaggerates what is really happening, and that will serve to fuel anger on both sides.
Usually this happens because a person feels the need to try to present a stronger and more convincing case than what they really have. That leads them to use strong language and to portray things in extreme terms which don’t accurately describe what the situation really is. This in turn will frustrate and anger the other person, and the situation escalates.
Worse still, as emotions continue to heat up and as the person tries harder and harder to assert their case, in their own mind the speaker might actually begin to believe that their situation really is as bad as their exaggerated words claim. This is known as mythical thinking, accepting as true something that is in fact false. If you say something often enough, and if you want it to be true badly enough, you will eventually convince yourself that it is true.
To this Jesus says, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’, ‘No’”.
In other words, “Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t use untrue, misleading, exaggerated, or extreme language in an attempt to make your case seem more convincing than what it is. Stick to what is actually true.”
Mythical thinking, broad generalizations, and exaggerated descriptions usually contain an element of truth. But it’s an element of truth that has been stretched and distorted to the point of being illogical, unreasonable, and unhelpful. That then fuels angry confrontations.
And also, it’s sinful. Whenever we exaggerate the truth we have crossed the line into lying – and lying is a sin. Either what you are saying is true and accurate to the best of your understanding, or it isn’t. And if it isn’t, then it’s a lie. Even if it contains an element of truth, if you are intentionally describing it in any way other than how it really is, you have entered into the realm of untruth, and that’s no different from lying.
One of the best strategies we can utilize in situations that have the potential to get heated and to spawn anger, is to speak calmly and truthfully. Let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”. Say what you mean, mean what you say, be truthful, be accurate, and don’t let angry emotion drive your speech.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 