Moving Upward toward Civility Updated Again

Moving Upward toward Civility Updated Again

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

           

            (I first published this piece in November 2013.  I published it again in February 2017. I am updating it once more.)

We are today a culture of the uncontrolled tongue. News reporting too often becomes a shouting match.  Children have been bullied into suicide by the words of others.  Politics has degenerated into blame shifting and name calling. Comedy seethes with insults and character assassination. Many people go for days and weeks without hearing a kind word.  Incivility is devouring us and serves only to exacerbate the trials of our lives.

            We live in a world that is famished for an uplifting word.  It is time for the family of God to arise, speak up and speak forth words of kindness, life, and solution.   Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32--NKJV)

            While we must exercise our freedom of speech, we must also endeavor to speak the truth in love and to choose our words in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Although the following suggestions would be useful on the national and international level, they are beneficial on the grassroots level as well.  It is at the grassroots that the reformation back to civility must begin. 

        Let's agree together in prayer: “Lord, please send civility to our world, and let it begin with me.  I desire to speak out of Your love rather than out of my fear, low self esteem, anger and disappointment.”

Suggestions for more civility in dialogue:

1.     “Before we get any further into this discussion, let me point out where I agree with you.”

2.    “I appreciate the thought and effort you have put into this.”

3.    “We can disagree and still be friends.”

4.    “I am sure that if we put our heads together, we can come up with a solution that we can agree on.”

5.    “Please go ahead and share your concerns.  Then give me an opportunity to share mine.”

6.    “I have a problem with some of your ideas.  Can you help me to understand your thoughts?”

7.    “Let’s have this discussion over  lunch.”                                                                                                                                                                                   

8.    “Please” and “thank you” are still politically correct phrases.  So is, “It’s good to see you.” 

9.    Nearly everyone responds positively to a sincere smile.

Scripture admonishes us to pray for those in authority over us even if we don’t like their policies:  

     ^“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” (1Timothy 2:1-3--NKJV).

What a thought:  I am more likely to lead a quiet and peaceable life if I pray for people, including those in authority, than if I complain about them. 

One of my favorite prayer-hymns is “Turn My Heart” by Lynn Deshazo based on Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” 

Remembering that in His kingdom, we are all called to be kings and priests, we must first sing this song over ourselves.  Cultural transformation must begin with me.

Turn My Heart

By Lynn Deshazo

Turn my heart O Lord
Like rivers of water
Turn my heart O Lord
By Your hand
Till my whole life flows
In the river of Your Spirit
And my name brings honor
To the Lamb.

When we have allowed the Lord to turn our hearts, we can ask Him to turn the hearts of our leaders.  We can pray again with on a few word changes:

Turn Trump’s heart O Lord
Like rivers of water
Turn his heart O Lord
By Your hand
Till his whole life flows
In the river of Your Spirit
And his name brings honor
To the Lamb.

Let us then pray for our land:

Turn the land’s heart O Lord
Like rivers of water
Turn our hearts O Lord
By Your hand
Till our whole life flows
In the river of Your Spirit
And our name brings honor
To the Lamb.

We will then be praying for the Lord’s agenda and not our own.

     Our Lord Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:35-37--NKJV)

Insults, insinuations and invective are idle words. Idle words do nothing to change anyone's opinion.  Remember  "Insults are the last resort of insecure people with a crumbling position trying to appear confident." (Wisdom Quotes)

     Father God, today I pray Your word over my life and the lives of others around me.  ”Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14--NKJV)