Murder occurs in the heart, and cuts
from the mouth.
That's what Jesus said. Matthew 5:22.
Why do people believe our childhoods
matter so much and yet raise us so poorly?
My brother spent near a decade in
post-secondary schooling to work in Hades' closet.
My mother stopped me one day, while I
was in the middle of ironing a favorite light blue cotton button-up.
“What is it your brother is doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“He's...talking about making
something...technology. I don't understand.”
As second generation Haitian, born in
the United States, I regularly have the privilege of re-explaining
Western concepts others fail to explain to my parents.
“He created an app...an application”
Her face suggests bewilderment. I
re-evaluate and reattempt.
“An application that goes on the
iPad, you know, the iPhone?”
“Oh,” she understands, she's been
fixated on owning one, for no particularly reason but to own one.
She grins of pride, “you know, he was
always good at computers. I don't know why he never did that as a
job”
My brother has miserably worked in the
medical profession for near a decade now.
I almost don't want to explain this.
“He told me when he was
fourteen....you told him how computers were a waste of time....that
there was no money in them”
The smile cleared and apologies were
made, though to the garage air, but the cold box would not receive
them.
Ignorance, yes. Lack of knowledge, yes.
An unwillingness to peer into future possibilities, to take a chance
on your own children, to make a bet on their success, yes.
What occurred that day, however hot it
was, was murder. An idea died that day, a dream choked, a bird had
its wings clipped. For whatever lack of follow-up there was on his
part (there is that), but first and foremost: he suffered an inner
death.
…......
Years ago...I wonder about years ago
and the young overweight girl in my Kindergarten class.
How I teased her with the aid of evil
classmates, how I'm sure I killed her with my careless words, years
ago. The senseless anger of a child, likely learned somewhere.
We do not have the opportunity of
taking back the things we say, so let us closely watch our doctrine
and our speech.
May we protect future innocents, and
tame our tongues.
“We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in
what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in
check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey
us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example.
Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are
steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great
boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the
body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life
on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of
animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and
have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a
restless evil, full of deadly poison. “
-James 3:2-8
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