Sarcasm

Ok here it goes!

I'm almost done with my first year of college and although I thought I could almost take a sigh of relief, I find that I have a couple of hurdles to jump and hedges to look around. And I'm not too excited about the one that will be happening the soonest, I just hope that it's not what I think it is. I'm sorry the specifics on that one will remain vague....

Anyways as the year is winding down and I look back over and contemplate my interactions with my classmates, I find that I have found a not so great coping mechanism.... SARCASM. I understand that it might not be that big a deal, but I feel convicted. There is always so much teasing, so many negative conversations and a word play/twisting swirling around me. And how do I respond... Sarcasm. I often find myself suddenly having something quick to respond with to whoever is conversing with me. Don't get me wrong, I never talk inappropriately! I just respond quickly and to their often "interesting" (if you know what I mean) comments. I enjoy the word play that can go back and forth, but is responding that way always right? I do know one thing most of the time sarcasm tears down, it doesn't build up, like the Bible says that our communication should. That is why I feel convicted. I feel stuck in this rut that I have put myself in while entering into the day to day banter of my culinary classes. Everybody does it! I don't want to tear down, because I fully realize that something said sarcastically or as a joke can come back and haunt you and the person that you said it to. In the greek it literally means "to tear flesh". Pretty terrible huh?

Here are a few things that I have found that I am going to try to remember with the Holy Spirit's prompting. "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction" "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness." "The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so." "A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!" "The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook." "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles." "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But whoever restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little, The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom" And this one always gets me "Life and death are in the power of the tongue, those who love it shall eat its fruit." In James it talks about the power of the tongue being like the small rudder of a ship steering a big ship or a small spark setting a forest fire. Then in Colossians it says that our speech is to be graceful, and seasoned with salt as Mathew says that we are the salt of the earth. How's that for convicting? It sure has gotten to me.

I have an excuse though it's how I hide what I'm really feeling. It has also become how I cope with the "stuff" that goes on. SARCASM has become a BAD habit. It's how I interact to "fit" in without compromising. But yet I have because I'm not always speaking life! It's so easy to say something sarcastic and have everyone laugh and then it's no longer about me. So what am I supposed to do?

I haven't figured out all the answers to this nagging question... Sarcasm? Do? or Don't? I guess there is a place for it sometimes, maybe? I just know that it's something I'm beginning to watch more carefully, I'm just concerned that my tongue will become very battered and bruised from me continually having to bite it. If I'm using sarcasm as a method of hiding and coping, what's the truth behind my classmates, sarcasm and word plays? Maybe if I hold my tongue more I can listen to the truth behind the veil of sarcasm and the word plays they are constantly welding.

Learning to bite my tongue and listen is the new habit I will be practicing tomorrow and the days to come. As the old saying goes "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."