Be nice. How many times did we hear that as children? How many times have we said that as parents or teachers? Nothing wrong with that… now. However, not long ago that word had a completely different meaning. When King Jimmy had his translation written in the 1600’s the word only appeared twice, both times in the Old Testament. In the first quote “nice” is likened to an effeminate or dainty man. In the second quote brevity is commended to avoid “nice” (unkowning, erroneous or stupid) speech. So “nice” was not a nice word in the 16th Century.” (Msgr. Charles Pope) Linguists now tell us that the word is starting to move back towards its older definitions, apparently partly due to the current climate of political correctness. It’s revealing that the Lord never tells us to “Be nice.” He uses very bold and direct adjectives such as right, just, bold, compassionate, caring, gracious,, merciful and many more. Notice that God is never described as nice. He is busy being all-powerful, jealous, omnipotent, loving and, a personal favorite, fierce. In a conversation with a friend a couple days ago we talked about how every follower of God is in a battle all day, everyday. Nice soldiers don’t win wars. Google the definition of nice and you will not see a warrior adjective in the list of words that describe its meaning. Go ahead and be nice, encourage your kids to be nice but, remember to encourage yourself and those you are around with God’s descriptors for His family. Today consider your words of encouragement and make them intentional. #BeTheEdge
“Be strong and very courageous.” Joshua 1:7a NIV
