Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. Ephesians 4:29 CEB
We seem to be an angry society these days. When we disagree, we cannot have a respectful discussion anymore. Listening to each other has been replaced by shouting our views on what we believe. Anger did not originate in our days, but social media has aggravated it and has given it a public forum.
Paul has some choice words to say about limiting anger and establishing boundaries, when he wrote “Only say what is helpful when it is need for building up…”
How do we rein in such vitriol and ire that is too commonplace in our world today? That will not allow us to come to an understanding among others. That blocks forgiveness, when resentment forms. That divides people into those who agree with me – my friends, and those who disagree with me – my enemies. Jesus had the prescription for such a dilemma when he said love others, even your enemies. Make no distinction between then. And forgive one another.
I think Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor said it best when she wrote, "When you allow your enemy to stop being your enemy, all the rules change. Nobody knows how to act anymore, because forgiveness is an act of transformation. It does not offer the adrenaline rush of anger, nor the feeling of power that comes from well-established resentment. It is a quiet revolution as easy to miss as a fist uncurling to become in open hand, but it changes people in ways that anger only wishes it could."
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