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We don’t hear of the word ‘noble’ any more. Webster’s New World Dictionary gives us several definitions: adj. 1.) famous or renowned. 2.) having or showing high moral qualities. 3.) having excellent qualities. 4.) grand; stately; or magnificent; as a noble view. 5.) of high rank or title aristocratic. N. one having hereditary rank or title; noble man; peer.

When the apostle Paul used the word, he most likely meant it to be ‘having or showing high moral qualities.

In our world today, we hear very few instances of what we deem noble. Television shows have dialogue and language that make us cringe. I have closed captioning on the set I watch. The audio portion might have the actor using ‘blue’ language but the caption may or may not show the word or words. The caption may just show that the word has been bleeped. When this feature shows the word or words, I feel strange. I believe it has to do with both hearing the foul language and seeing it print.

What can we say about language one would consider noble? It would be uplifting, not harsh, dignified, and not smutty.

At one time in our society the word choice a person employed told those listening about the speaker’s background. But, alas, it isn’t true anymore.

We hear people using words to intentionally shock their hearers. People in certain professions seem to go out of their way to use certain four letter words. I fired a ‘professional’ man for his use of one of these words. He also had an attitude that told me he would not be of any assistance to me.

As Christian believers, we should monitor our speech and omit words or ideas that resemble the world.

A few years ago, our pastor asked our church’s drama ministry, of which I am a member, to write and present a play dealing with this issue among Christians. I finished a draft and took it to him to read. We discussed it and he asked me to get more specific. He even gave me a few of the words he had in mind. Expressions he heard from some of the church people. As I typed the changes into my computer, I had the feeling that God rapped my hands with a ruler. I wanted to read a disclaimer about it but the others in the group pointed out that a writer stands behind his or her words. It was received well. At a later planning meeting, one of the women in the troupe told us she stopped using a slang word because of that short play.

Some people look at the fact we hear so much profane speech because the speaker’s vocabulary is limited. One of the women at church told a group of us one night that, as a child, when her dad caught her using ‘blue language’. He made her read the dictionary. For some of us, saying bad words was followed by something that now would be considered child abuse--it involved soap.

Please don’t get the idea that I am perfect. I’m not. When I was frustrated, I used to have a ritual where I said three words. The first one would be almost a whisper, the second, a little louder and more forceful. The third one was in the range of high C and stronger yet. One day after I found myself that frustrated, my son came in from the backyard and said, “Mother, I didn’t know you knew that last word.” I felt instant conviction. I vowed I would stop doing that. In all the intervening years, I have accidentally resorted back to that ritual maybe a few times.

I analyzed the events that caused me to say those words and realized each time I was frustrated. Since then, I strive not to get that worked up.

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

Things that go bump in the night