It may or may not be obvious that when bloggers write about something, it most likely reveals what they themselves are going through or have gone through. Sometimes it may seem like we are pointing out something we have noticed in others while in fact, it’s a matter we’re dealing with, ourselves. My post today is a confession of sorts. Something for me to look back on. Like the day an alcoholic puts down a drink or the chronic glutton says, “no” to french fries once and for all, I hope to look back on this post for my own acknowledgement and correction.

1. Sarcasm is never truthful: If it is an intention in your life to be truthful you must acknowledge that sarcasm is almost always the opposite of the truth. A lie. We say one set of words to deliver the completely opposite message. A few laugh, a couple of people feel awkward, the recipient of the sarcasm can go any number of directions… but your believability factor goes down. If we want to be believed and taken seriously on any level, sarcasm is an enemy.

2. Sarcasm is a disguise: I heard of a couple’s marriage counselor who diagnosed them this way,

“one of you cried a lot and then you both became sarcastic.”

Think about the sadness of that. The wounded person in the marriage became sarcastic to disguise and avoid the pain. The hurtful partner became sarcastic as a way to be less direct with their painful behavior. I PRAY that this bell rings a loud reminder when I am tempted to be sarcastic with my wife. Truth be known, Susan and I have “gone there” way too many times. I do not want sarcasm to become the fruit remembered of our marriage.

3. Sarcasm is condescending: At the heart of sarcasm is a spirit that is meant to draw attention to the wit and intelligence of the ‘giver’ and demean or draw attention to the inadequacies of the recipient. It may be light-hearted on the shell, but there is something in the condescending root of sarcasm that is present. I’m sure all people that lean toward being sarcastic have felt the embarrassment of their sarcasm falling on a naive, childlike innocence and having to explain their comment. I have felt it and secretly wished for that kind of innocence.

4. Sarcasm is a stumbling block to faith: This concept is a little deeper but I hope it will challenge your thought. The habit of sarcasm actually decreases our ability to believe ourselves. I saw a telling meme the other day. It said, “My sarcasm is to a level where I don’t even know if I’m kidding or not!” Funny? Yes and no. The truth is that your brain gets conditioned to disbelieve your words. I have a feeling that if we hope to say, “Pick up your crutches and walk” or “Get up, you are no longer sick”, we are going to have to get to the place where our faith dictates that we believe EVERY word we say. I believe actually, that sarcasm keeps us from believing our own words.

5. The Bible is against it: Proverbs 26:18-19 – “Just as damaging as a madman firing a deadly weapon, so is someone who lies to a friend and then says ‘I was only joking'”. I don’t think I really need to add to that. I do believe that is the Bible’s commentary on sarcasm. There are many instances of sarcasm in the Bible, at least a dozen. None are by people that we want to emulate. The most notable is the crucifixion gang mocking Jesus with “King of the Jews” and then slapping and spitting at Him. Hyperbole is also found throughout the Bible and it is a little different. Hyperbole tends to shed light on the truth by illuminating the obvious contrast. A good example of that is God telling Job to inform Him on how the world was made since Job was “there”. Also, Elijah telling the Baal priests to yell louder to their god to fire up the sacrifice.

As I attempt to go forward with serious limitations on my sarcasm, I ask you to pray for me and feel free to call me out when I have abused our relationship with hurtful words. I pray you will be blessed and challenged by these thoughts and consider the power in your own words. I appreciate your comments and please feel free to share with anyone you think may benefit from these thoughts!