In The News

Sony Pictures, Brittany McHenry, And Ourselves

Posted on by Simler
06
Apr

Ever say something in private that you probably shouldn’t have? Ever send a text or email that you’d give anything to be able to retrieve? Or ever blow off steam to a friend, only to discover that the one you were complaining about overheard you? Well, that seems to be the case with Sony Pictures– courtesy of WikiLeaks, ESPN reporter Brittany McHenry – thanks to a surveillance camera, and… if we are honest, ourselves.

Before we begin our discussion, let me be clear that the purpose of this post is not to debate the right or wrong of WikiLeaks, Sony, or Brittany McHenry. There are plenty of other blogs and websites that are suited to those types of discussions. But what I am hoping to facilitate is a healthy discussion about what we say when we think no one is listening.

Our Private Conversations

Are we free to express ourselves in anyway we see fit in the privacy of our own home?

Legally, of course the answer is yes. But what about morally or spiritually?

If the conversation you had last night with your spouse, suddenly went viral on YouTube because say your teenage son thought it would be funny to record and post it, is there anything you said that would embarrass you or devastate your relationships? Or, if when you came to church on Sunday, your pastor asked to see your recent texts, would there be anything in them that would change his opinion of you?

A sobering thought isn’t it?

This theme of our words and how we use them has been heavy on my heart for several weeks now. So much so that I have blogged two other times in the last month or so on this same topic. One post was called WORDS and the other was called Weekly Word Shopping. Before then, I I hadn’t spoken about words since 2012, in a post called WORDS: Life or Death?

Sooo, I think the Lord is trying to get our attention.

I would say, just get my attention, but between a popular song by Hawk Nelson appropriately titled WORDS, a few sermons I’ve heard recently on the same topic, and all the recent media attention with Sony, WikiLeaks, and Brittany McHenry, it seems that we humans are getting the message loud and clear that our words, and in particular our private words, can have a deep impact on our lives.

What The Bible Says

The Holy Bible says that it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of man. (Matthew 15:11, Mark 7:15) And we are told that on the day of judgment we will give an account for every idle word we have spoken. (Matthew 12:36)

There are many scriptures about our words and how, where and why we use them. And that nothing is ever hidden from the Lord. Here are just few of them:
“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)
“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)

“…to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.” (Titus 3:2)
“Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.” (Psalm 101:5)
“He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.” (Proverbs 21:23)

Living Our Words In The Open

So what would happen if we began today to live our lives as if everything we said was going to be out in the open for everyone to hear? Granted, there are some intimate conversations that are ordained by God to be totally private. But what if we determined that we would not send an email or text or say a word about anyone unless we were comfortable with the one we are discussing hearing it?
If the Sony employees had done that, then WikiLeaks would have nothing to sensationalize. And if Brittany McHenry had made that her life habit, perhaps she wouldn’t be on week long suspension from work because of her unpleasant words that were caught on video.
But, I am not pointing fingers by any means. I have had plenty of my own weak moments that would have mortified me if they had gone viral.
But I have also tried the LIVING-MY-WORDS-IN-THE-OPEN approach and found it liberating.
en I live my words in the open, I don’t say anything about anyone unless I would be comfortable telling them to their face. This practice frees me from a lot of internal angst and keeps my relationships much stronger.
By not verbalizing my harshest criticisms, I find that often they dissipate. And if for some reason they don’t, I take them to the Lord in prayer and reserve my venting for His ears alone.
This choosing to keep my words open for all to hear makes me more careful about my words which in turn keeps my heart in a cleaner, purer state, because I am not feeding on the grub worms of gossip, but rather encouraging the fruits of the spirit to flourish in me.

What About You?

Have you ever had a Candid-Camera-Moment, where your words or actions were revealed to others? How did you handle it? What would you do differently if you could?

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, here we are again asking you to help us with our words. Lord, please help us with the perceptions that feed our words. We want to speak, act and think like You do. But this has proven to be very difficult at times. Please help us Lord to say and do the same things in private that we do in public. Give us a heart like you that always looks for the good in others, and never points out the mote in someone else, when there is a beam in in our eye. In Your Precious and Holy Name, AMEN.

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