My little grandson wanted to know who decides what words are cuss words. I told him that cussing really didn’t make any sense.
Without exception, every cuss word is actually something else, something that often isn’t bad at all. I told him to tell me a cuss word and I’d show him what I meant.
Looking a bit sheepish at the thought of actually saying a cuss word in front of his Mamaw, he leaned over, squinted his eyes shut and quickly breathed, “Hell.” Having uttered this vile word, he slapped his hand over his mouth and between his fingers whispered, “There mamaw, I said one.”
I waited till he had regained his composure then said, “Well, what IS Hell?” He told me it was the place sinners went to spend eternity. I told him that was right, so would he agree that Hell was actually a place, it really existed? He nodded in the affirmative. I said, “Do you think anybody ever says, “Oh, New York!” How about, “Pittsburg, no!”
Thinking for a minute, he decided that he didn’t think he’d ever heard anybody do that. I told him, then, to use Hell as a cuss word didn’t make sense, did it? He pondered that for a moment and agreed. He asked about a few more bad words and we talked about what they really were.
Finally, I told him that sometimes people cuss because they think it makes them look really bad or cool. Instead, all cussing does is make a person appear to be uninformed; even ignorant.
With sudden insight, he said, “Hey, Mamaw, isn’t it one of the devil’s jobs to make us look stupid and be a failure?” I told him he was right. He leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms and matter of factly said; “Now it all makes sense, thanks, Mamaw.”
Matthew 5:34-38 But I tell you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Prayer: Father, I want to please you in every way. I don’t ever want my life to disrespect you or the people you created to love you. Help me to keep my lips clean and my heart kind. Thank you. Amen.