My grandmother hated the word “Stupid.”
At least, I think she hated it. All I know is that we could never, ever call anyone stupid. She wouldn’t allow her children to use the word and her first born, my mother, would not let me use it either.
You may ask, why that matters?
It’s simple. It’s in the Bible.
Jesus said that (Matthew 5:17, in the Sermon on the Mount) He did not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. The word “fulfill” means to fill them with meaning. At that point Jesus used six illustrations to show how He fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:21-48).
He began by teaching about murder. He reminded His hearers that the Law said, “Do not murder.” He then took the teaching to a deeper level. “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother ‘Raca’ [meaning, “empty-headed”] is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
My grandmother and grandfather knew Scripture and abided by it. They would never call someone a fool or idiot or stupid because of their deep love for Scripture and the Lord who gave it. They believed what Jesus said.
They also knew what the Bible teaches about the heart. Calling someone stupid or a fool is certainly not the same as physical murder, but it reveals the heart. Whatever is in the heart will eventually come to the surface.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus repeatedly called for His followers to look at their hearts and their attitudes. He reminded them that out of the heart comes all kinds of evil.
Do your best to deal with your heart and do it quickly.
My grandparents also knew something else. They knew that life is changed by the little things. Little sins and seemingly innocuous attitudes lead to big sins and destructive attitudes.
My mother and grandmother knew I wasn’t going to murder anyone at age eight or ten. They wanted to make sure that I didn’t have an attitude of anger, resentment, and disgust toward others that would lead me to ever harm anyone else. They that words and attitudes matter.
My grandmother wanted us to love others and to treat them as they were–people created in the image of God, people for whom Christ died.
I didn’t always understand my grandparents’ reasonings in the past, but I now see how much they loved us and loved others. I also see again how much they loved our Lord.
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