The title is clever. The tune is catchy. And it annoys my grandson whenever I sing it repeatedly. I stop whenever I get the expected response from him, that being, “Ah-h-h-h-h!”
The animal kingdom may have their own language with grunts and growls, but I’m guessing that it doesn’t come close to the human language. Maybe because we exhibit more emotion and determination. Domesticated animals respond to voice commands because of conditioning and rewards. We never have a discussion with them regarding their behavior; if so, it would be all one-sided.
My native tongue, English, is replete with innuendos and double-entendres, making if difficult to understand the true intent, let alone try to form a response. Words are powerful. Consider the children’s rhyme:
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But words will never hurt me.
Not true. Words spoken or written can generate a number of feelings inside of us. I’ll be the first to admit that in my own life I am often affected by words sent my way. I must check myself quickly in order not to respond in haste. I also notice how many times I have misunderstood comments. On many an occasion I find later that they were not directed toward me, were not meant in the way that I took them, or were certainly not worth me being worked up about.
My wife says I’m a ponderer, and she’s right. When I receive a negative comment or response from someone, I can mull it over for hours, or even days, before I’m willing to let it go. On the other hand I can receive a kind remark from someone I don’t generally care for, and it’s as if they were never unkind to me. Someone that I am confident is an untruthful person can so embellish a statement that I am eager and willing to consider that they are being honest with me. Along with being a ponderer, I seem to be a responder-er.
Ecclesiastes 3:7 says that there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak.” This also is critical to the use of words. Are we willing to listen? Shouldn’t we be responding with questions to make sure that we understand the comments?
I once asked a pastor friend of mine why it took him so long to answer my question (he could ramble on for nearly twenty minutes just to answer one simple question). He replied that he had to choose his words carefully so that he wouldn’t have to eat them later. To be sure, our answers to many questions must be well thought out, but it may benefit those around us to also keep our answers brief. Brief questions and answers, with special effort to leave out the tension, makes for meaningful dialogue.
The Bible says that we are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), but warns against misuse of our speech (James 3:9):
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
When we consider the great impact that our words has on our family members, teachers, employers, co-workers, friends and enemies alike, let us remember the advice of Jesus, God’s son, when he said, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Say what you need to say, but be sure you really need to say it. And be careful how you speak.
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