Monday, August 12th, 2019

The war of words that is the preliminary stages of the 2020 presidential race does not pause for weekends. Over the weekend, more stories rained of this candidate saying this about that (and on and on). While a spirited debate over policy or initiatives when in office is desirable during an election cycle, a mean-spirited bout of name calling is not. The moment we choose to label someone else as anything other than another child of God, we cross the line towards being a judge instead of a forgiver. We can, and should, disagree on things in life but we cannot allow our disagreements to evolve into prejudices. James wrote, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” When we name-call others, we only label ourselves as incapable of forgiving others of the things for which we desire others forgive us. Today, sort through the names you call others (whether in your mind or from your mouth) and decide if they are names you would want to be called — or more importantly, a name Jesus would want to hear you calling someone.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” — James 4:1 NIV