Do you find it amazing how we interpret things by experience? Does a word or phrase ever bother you when there's really nothing wrong with what's being communicated?
Recently, I was chatting with a friend regarding an organizational guru, known affectionately as "The FlyLady". Besides a host of helpful ideas, The FlyLady has a weekly house cleaning that she calls, "House Blessing". Personally, I love it! Blessing your house sounds so much nicer than cleaning it! :-)
But my friend is an ex-catholic. She hears "house blessing" and cringes at the image of a long-robed priest with 'holy' water and incense, chanting over a parishioner's home. Her experience changed the connotation; which is a shame, although quite understandable.
Have you ever judged a baby name by someone you've known in the past? Does the name "Amy" or "Janet" subconsciously indicate a snob or spoiled brat? It does for me. And yet, I've known girls by those names that weren't.
Like Martin Luther standing before the emperor, we need to be so careful that our "conscience is captive to the Word of God," not our emotions or experiences. So, along with wisdom and the law of kindness, may the Lord grant us great discretion too...
Forgot to mention that this is also a series...I could probably write a dozen posts on this topic, but will try to exercise some self-control! =)
ReplyDelete