I swear!

I'll never forget the first time I slipped up in speech in front of my wife. We were sliding out of control towards an embankment in our little new '92 Plymouth Sundance. Graciously God allowed us only to 'bump' the embankment and all occupants in our vehicle escaped injury. I was an unbeliever then. My mouth was vile. I cursed, swore and used the Lord's name in vain like some people breathed. I could turn it on and off. I kept it mostly off around my wife, family and some church people.

Recently I have been made aware of a trend in Christian circles that takes a very lax view towards untoward speech. That concerns me. There are constant 'redefinitions' and claims that some words aren't so bad, etc, etc. But this desire of evangelicals to get closer and closer to the line of being like the world concerns me greatly.

When I was saved in 1998, God graciously allowed me to put aside my filthy communication and not take it back up again. He did that with many vices I had. I am sensitive to the use of vulgarities, swearing and cursing among God's children. I understand that many people struggle in areas that I do not. I do not attempt to be placing myself on a pedestal here. While this laxness is embraced by the church, it is not necessarily being embraced in the secular world.

I have been listening to ESPN radio's Mike & Mike in the morning. I really like Mike Golic. A former NFL player, he provides great insight into an athlete's mindset. Thursday he and a guest host were talking about the latest 'scandal' in the PGA. It's Tiger Woods 'threat' to break the f...ing neck of a photographer who snapped a picture during his backswing. The guest host and Golic couldn't agree on whether or not this was inappropriate behavior. Mike Golic actually said that in the line of athletics there were times when this would happen and you just had to kind of expect it. He then said something very interesting:

He made the statement that he played with one of the NFL's greatest "D-Linemen", Reggie White. He claimed that he never heard Reggie White curse or swear on or off the field. Staggering statement isn't it? For a lineman in the trenches, struggling against other behemoths and experiencing all kinds of pain, strains and struggles? Why didn't Reggie curse? Why wasn't he vulgar? Why didn't he swear like other athletes?

I submit it was because of his faith.

2 Corinthians 5:17 - If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and behold, new things have come.

Think about it. Does it make sense?