Church and other communities of faith, I call on you today to do one thing and do it daily as a critical matter of spiritual discipline. Do it in your homes and do it in your faith settings. Teach your young children and teens this critical lesson in all that you do. Cruel words should never be exchanged in gest or in sarcasm. Once uttered, they can never, ever be taken back by using the defense, “It was a joke.” And certainly the speaker should never belittle a wounded person by accusing them of not being able to take a joke. If your words hurt someone else, the proper response is a contrite heart and “I’m very sorry.” Nothing else at all will do. It is not the wounded person’s responsibility to develop a thicker skin, to “buck up, buttercup,” to “take it like a man,” etc. These are sincere matters of spiritual and moral formation that begin at home and in the place of worship. If we do not do it, no one will.
If we expect America to be healed, we must humble our hearts and begin here.
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