If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
I Corinthians 13:1-2 NIV
I hate technology. I may be the only millennial to have ever uttered those words but it is true. I do not get along with it. I am not constantly tied to my phone and I probably would not even have a Facebook page if my friend had not made me one years ago so we could easily group chat about her upcoming wedding. Why we couldn’t have had a text message group rather than a Facebook group is still an area of consternation to me but I digress…
I frequently wondered where this dislike of technology come from—my parents were fairly easy adapters to computers and such so why was I so resistant? Then one day I remembered my first interaction with a computer that to this day affects my attitude towards them.
I was about 5 years old when my daycare/pre-K got a few computers for us to play on in an effort to familiarize us with the then-new technology. We were in the playroom where the computers were along with the scooters, blocks, finger paints, and, in general, all of the fun stuff. As there were many of us, we had to be divided into groups to play with all the various toys. The teacher told us to raise our hands when she said one of the activities, however, she did not tell us beforehand what our choices were going to be. The first activity she mentioned was the computer, that sounded like fun so I raised my hand. Three of us were picked to play on the computer first. She next asked who wanted to ride the scooters, which sounded like more fun so I raised my hand again in an effort to switch my vote. The teacher said I had already raised my hand to play on the computer. I was upset—I loved the scooters and we weren’t always allowed to play on them! If I had known they were an option I would have chosen them and not the computer!
Over to the computer I went, but I kept looking at the kids on the scooters—they were riding around laughing and having much more fun than I was having. When I looked back at my computer screen there was a message box displayed. I couldn’t read very well and the teacher seemed busy so I clicked on it and it went away … like, totally away—the box, the computer game, everything. Confused, I called out to my teacher and when she came over she took one look and in an annoyed voice said, “Oh you broke it.”
She told to get out of my chair so she could try to figure out what went wrong. I remember just sitting there staring at my teacher’s back. She was at the computer a long time and I had no idea if she would be able to fix it or not. I don’t remember if there was anything else to do at the table or not; I was too upset. I had just broken one of the brand new computers and that was the first time I had ever touched a computer!
This teacher was not a particularly harsh individual. I don’t remember much about her, I don’t even remember her name, but I do remember the harsh words she spoke to me that day. Unbeknownst to her, those words colored many of my future interactions with technology. Our words have power.
I mention this not to paralyze us so that we are afraid to speak but to remind us that the Bible tells us to let all we do be done in love (I Corinthians 16:14). I Corinthians 13:1-2 says: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
I do endeavor to speak gently and with love to those that I interact with but this is not necessarily my strong suit! (See my post about gentleness here!) I am sure that teacher had no idea that some 20 years later I would still remember the words she spoke to me—and I cannot even remember her name! Likewise, I remember compliments and other things that people have said to me in a much brighter light. A heartfelt compliment can bring a smile to the person that compliment was paid years later. Given the choice between the two, the second is the legacy I want to leave.
People will remember different things about us. Some will remember the good, some will remember the bad, most will remember a mix, the kind and unkind things we have said. Just like my teacher, we cannot control what people will remember about us. Despite our fumbling words, and despite when we say things that come out all wrong, we can pray that God will use our fumblings to still reach through us to the people that we were put on this earth to minister to. We cannot control how people perceive our words, but we can control the attitude and tone in which we speak. We can ask God to help cover everything we say and do in love because our words have the power to change a life.
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