Abused: God's Holy Name By Marsha West

You can run, you can hide, but you can't get away from it, "God knows I've tried."  It seems that wherever you go, whether it's to the mall, a movie, the golf course, or the hardware store, you hear God's name being misused.  It's become so common that most people hardly notice it anymore.  But some of us do.

It's rare to watch a TV program without hearing God this, God that…."Oh my God!"  Some people punctuate each word, "Oh - my - God." Others say it as if it's one word, "OhmyGod!" And there are those that shorten it to "Oh God." If he or she's a person of few words, just saying "God!" gets their point across.  For a little extra punch, certain people will add a damn.  For example, "I hate this G-D rain!"

I don't mind when someone says, "God bless you," or "God be with you," or my mom's personal favorite, "God love ya."  I take offense when someone uses God's name as a curse. 

It's disheartening to hear the Lord's holy name abused, especially by Christians who claim to love Him. The way we use God's name is an indication of how we feel about Him.  And by the way, those who misuse His name are treading on thin ice.  "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name" (Exodus 20:7). 

God holds us accountable for every word we utter. Sobering thought, isn't it? 

The Lord loves those who pursue righteousness (Proverbs 15:9).  He wants His people who are called by His name to love one another; to be compassionate and sensitive so that we might win others to Christ.  I admit that being sensitive isn't one of my strong suits. Often I'm viewed as insensitive because I say what's on my mind.  But it's never my intention to hurt someone's feelings.  If I were talking with a Buddhist, or a Muslim, or someone who's into Native American spirituality, I certainly wouldn't be so crass as to say, "Swear to Buddha," or "Oh Allah!" or "Great Spirit damn you!" 

So, why aren't Christians shown the same respect? The politically correct crowd would rather throw themselves in front of moving train than offend anyone, yet they abuse the Lord's name without the slightest hesitation.  And they expect Christians to stand there take the abuse!

The words you use, you choose.  A good example of this is John, my neighbor.  John's a nice guy but he's a notorious potty mouth.  The other day he was standing at the local hardware store's checkout counter.  His back was turned when I joined the line so he didn't know I was there.  During his conversation with the clerk I overheard him use Christ's name as a curse.  When he turned to leave our eyes met.  He gave me a hi-ho neighbor wave and left the store.  My husband was waiting out front in the car so John stopped to chat.  He was in the middle of an amusing golf story when I hopped in the car.  The conversation went on for a while

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