The Trouble With Words

August 19, 2020 by  
Filed under Humor, Stories

By Kim Stokely –

Don’t get me wrong. I like words. All kinds of words. I like how they help me communicate with people, whether through writing or speaking. The best thing about words is the way they sound as they make their way past my lips. Some words are more fun to say than others. “Muffin,” for example, is an amusing word. What’s not to love about that “m” sound combined with those two “f”s? You know what’s even better? The word “waffle.” Say it a couple of times. Really play with “w” and “f” sounds, and I’ll bet you’ll be smiling.

The trouble with the word “waffle” is that can mean two different things. In one instance, it refers to a yummy breakfast treat smothered in either syrup or fruit and whipped cream. (This is, in fact, my favorite meaning of the word!) Sometimes it’s a verb meaning you are struggling between two choices. Very rarely will you confuse the two unless you happen to be at an IHop, waffling between ordering waffles or pancakes for breakfast.

Context becomes important when we use words that have double meanings. A friend of mine found that out recently after she was involved in an accident on the freeway one Sunday morning. When the car in front of her stopped suddenly, my friend braked in time to avoid the collision. The person behind her, however, did not. The police arrived, discerned no one was seriously injured, then began questioning those involved.

“Ma’am,” the policeman asked my friend. “Have you been drinking?”

“Yes,” She replied.

The cop gave her a strange look. “How many drinks have you had?”

She thought for a moment. “A glass of orange juice and tea with breakfast. At least two bottles of water and─” She caught the policeman’s bemused face. “Oh! I thought you were asking if I was hydrated today!”

For my friend, a bicycling enthusiast and a Christian, the idea of drinking alcohol on a Sunday morning was such a foreign concept that she naturally assumed the policeman was concerned about her being dehydrated. For the policeman, alcohol and accidents coincide so often that he had no trouble believing a person could be drunk so early in the day.

I try to remember this lesson in context when I speak to others about my faith. I have to be aware of what colors their perspective of God. Even a word like “sin” has different meanings to different people depending on their own past and present experiences. But “love” and “acceptance” are words that most people understand. If I start on common ground with our need as human beings to be loved and accepted for who we are, I find people to be much more receptive to the other words I speak about God.

About Kim Stokely

Kim Stokely has toured throughout the country in a one-person musical about women in the Bible. She lives in Nebraska with her husband and a variety of creatures including: two teenagers, two dogs, a parakeet and a legless lizard. Her stories have been printed in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Vista, and Writers’ Journal and she invites you to visit her website @ www.kimstokely.com to read her award winning short story, Bingo.
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Comments

6 Responses to “The Trouble With Words”
  1. Penny Roberts says:

    Funny! I liked that–first you are so right about Waffle and Muffin. And then gliding into the context issue we all should consider when we are talking with others about faith–what perspective are “they” coming from! Thanks! Hugs, Penny

  2. I’ve heard that the most soothing word to a person is their own name. Can you imagine the joy of hearing Jesus call your name. That’s something I hope I can look forward to. Some words that I find pleasant are please, thank you, and excuse me. My pleasure in these words are not found so much in the sound but in the connotation. And what about the most pleasing words of all, “I love you.” So if I put this all together, here’s what I come up with. I die and say, “Lord, please excuse my sins.” And Jesus says. “James, Thank you for trying to be a good person. I love you.”

    • Kim says:

      Wow, James! Beautifully put, I think we all hope to hear Jesus call our names and tell us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

  3. Mary Ellen Faust says:

    I wonder how often most people have felt loved and accepted. Do we really understand what it means that God the Father has accepted us just the way we are? My guess is that many Christians don’t get this really because we struggle so to accept people until they have cleaned up their act. Pete Wilson in Plan B talks about welcoming people into our communities before they believe; belonging even while believing something else (and perhaps doing things that are sinful). That’s the kind of acceptance Jesus showed. He draws us with his kindness,not his judgement. Maybe someday I’ll be more like that!! Good words, Kim!

    • Kim says:

      Mary Ellen-Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle church talks about that very same thing. He took some flack for allowing transvestites to come to church in their alternative clothing, but he basically said,”How will they learn how much Christ loves them, if we don’t let them into His house?” As the men learned and accepted Jesus, he changed their desires so that they wanted to follow His will, and not their own. I wish we could all have that heart!

  4. Dianne says:

    I really like this, Kim. As the wife of a retired police officer. (No waffeling here!)

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