By: Dale Weckbacher
James 1:19
So then, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
NKJV
God gives us two ears and one mouth. James 1:19 provides instructions on how to
use them. We should be quick to use the
two ears God has given us and slow to use the one mouth. In addition, we must be very slow to
wrath.
In the United States, we have freedom of speech and as such,
it is easy to engage the mouth without listening first. Recently we have witnessed how words spoken
quickly can lead to wrath causing the destruction of property, injury, and even
death. Even though we have the right to
free speech, we must use wisdom not to allow our free speech to disrupt the
civil society.
In a recent sermon, the pastor at my church gave us the
acronym T.H.I.N.K as a way of checking our words before speaking, or writing
them in a text, email, on Twitter, or on Facebook so as not to stir up anger or
wrath. The acronym stands for,
T) Truthful – Is what
I am about to say truthful. It is
obvious that those choosing to riot in Baltimore did not take time to gather
all the facts before reacting. The death
of Freddie Gray is tragic but everyone, including police officers has a right
to due process. They have a right to
gather all the evidence and let a jury or judge decide their fate. Those protesting in Baltimore need to pause
and listen to all the facts first before speaking out and by no means should
they react in wrath for this is not what people in a civil society do.
H) Helpful – Speech that foments anger leading to riots as
we have seen in Baltimore is never helpful.
If those rioting in Baltimore believed their rioting would create public
outrage against law enforcement they are totally wrong for I believe their
actions have only created greater support for law enforcement. Has anyone thought of being helpful by
consoling the parents of Freddie Gray who have lost their son?
I) Inspirational – Webster provides the following
definitions for inspiration
A: a divine influence
or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate
sacred revelation
B: the action or
power of moving the intellect or emotions
Granted the words of protestors that instigated the riots in
Baltimore did suggest opinions of racism in the Baltimore Police Department and
did indeed move emotions of anger, which led to the riots. However, since their words were not helpful
and may not be truthful once the facts are revealed, their words were not
wise. What the situation in Baltimore
needs are words of inspiration as defined by the first definition. The best words of inspiration I know of are
the Bible, the Word of God that encourages us to be peacemakers, not rioters
(Matthew 5:9).
N) Necessary – The
person or persons potentially wronged by the Baltimore PD were the family of
Freddie Gray. They have the right to
hire an attorney to investigate any potential wrongdoing by the Baltimore PD
and if Freddie Gray’s death was due to negligence on the part of the police,
they have the right to sue for damages.
In addition, the Baltimore PD is investigating the situation so between
the two investigations, the truth will eventually come out. There was therefore no reason for rioters to
riot other than the advancement of an anti-law enforcement political agenda,
which threatens the civil society.
K) Kind – there were absolutely no kind words offered during
the violence in Baltimore. Instead of
kind words, all we heard were claims of rampant racism in police departments in
Baltimore and all over the country. During
all of this hateful rhetoric, I heard no kind words of consolation offered to
the parents of Freddie Gray who must now deal with the tragic loss of their
son.
Words are powerful things, which is why James 1:9 instructs
us to use them wisely. Granted, the
First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects speech but in the interest of
maintaining a civil society, I encourage everyone to pause and T.H.I.N.K.
before speaking out verbally or through the keyboard. After all, isn’t the maintenance of a civil
society beneficial to everyone in the society?
In contrast to the events in Baltimore, it was announced
that Madison police Officer Matt Kenny will not be charged in the fatal
shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson Jr.
(2) Unlike Baltimore, there were no riots or
violence in Madison. Instead, the facts
came out and when they did, the tragic death of a young man due to being high
on drugs was revealed. Instead of
speaking out and rioting prior to the revelation of the facts, in Madison
people listened to the facts and can now use this tragedy to teach young people
about what can occur from the use of drugs.
I believe this is what James 1:9 wants us to do.
1. Merriam-Webster. Inspiration. www.merriam-webster.com.
[Online] Encyclopedia Britannica. [Cited: May 12, 2015.]
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inspiration.
2. Breitbart News.
Police Report: Tony Robinson, Man Killed by Madison Officer, High on Mushrooms.
www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, May 12, 2015. [Cited: May
12, 2015.]
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/12/police-report-tony-robinson-man-killed-by-madison-officer-high-on-mushrooms/.
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