Christian Living

Avoid Using This Abbreviation

Elihu

becca-tapert-391595

Like most teenagers, I heard plenty of slang in school—some terms were playfully innocuous, some vulgar. I often observed how a word or phrase was used and tried to avoid the inappropriate ones. One day, while having a conversation with my dad, I threw in a seemingly harmless word. I had heard this phrase used by Christian adults, so I figured it was probably safe. My dad arched an eyebrow and asked me to repeat what I said.

With some hesitation, I repeated myself.

He looked carefully at me and asked, “Do you know what [vulgar term] means?”

I thought I knew…

Once my dad explained what it actually meant, I was mortified. It had a rather nasty sexual connotation and yet Christians and non-Christians said it as though it were no big deal. I stopped using it immediately, wondering if my peers had any clue what they were saying. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. I was never brave enough to ask.

Fast forward to the present, where people type more than speak and abbreviations replace actual words. There are some innocent abbreviations—LOL (laugh out loud), ROFL (Rolling On the Floor laughing), TTFN (Ta Ta For Now)—but several three and four-letter combinations include profanities you may not want to use.

I will spare you the list.

I’m not sure how everyone reads abbreviations, but when I see a three or four-letter cluster, I immediately think words instead of letters. I cringe when I see abbreviated profanities, because the cuss words immediately pop into my head. With all the cursing and swearing that goes on, I don’t need extra exposure.

What about “OMG?”

When I see a Christian use “OMG,” I often wonder if they realize how someone else interprets it. To ensure I wasn’t missing some alternate meaning, I looked it up. According to Professor Google, Doctor Wikipedia, and The Urban Dictionary, the spelled out phrase is “Oh my God.” (Please forgive me for having to spell it out). Now, most sources say the “G” could be used to mean “goodness” or “gosh,” but the origin always points back to “Oh My God.”

In my anecdote, my dad recognized that I was pretty clueless about the connotation of that vulgarity, and didn’t fly off the handle. He gently corrected me and I am thankful he did! In that same spirit, I believe many Christians may think they are saying “oh my goodness,” or “oh my gosh.” That being said, most people use “G” for “God.” In light of how it’s perceived, we should avoid using it.

The Bible makes it clear that God is holy and expects to be treated as holy. Those who want to have a relationship with Him will respect Him. Furthermore, God’s nature is unchanging. He doesn’t expect to be honored as holy by one generation and treated like “one of the guys” in the next. God is Lord of heaven and earth, our Creator, our King, the Omnipotent, the Merciful and the Just. He is also our Father and our close friend, but he isn’t a friend in the same way my pal from college is a friend. It’s a special relationship and should be treated as such.

Whether we say it, or type it, we need to watch what we say! Our words get us into plenty of trouble.

Imagine that your name was used as an expletive. How would that make you feel? Would you feel honored? Loved? Respected? Appreciated? Or would you feel tarnished? Used? Blackened? Undervalued?

Imagine how God feels when someone who professes to love Him uses His name as an exclamation point.

In light of how many read this term, it really should vanish from all our texts/posts/shares/emails altogether. This is not a call to legalism, but to love. We don’t want to damage our relationship with God—it’s far too precious! If we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, we will treat Him the way He wants to be treated—with reverent love.

Published by Elihu

Elihu Anderson is a California refugee currently thriving on the West Texas plains. She is the founder of elihuscorner.com and is a contributor to Kirk Cameron's website TheCourage.com. When she isn't writing, reading, or teaching, she is sipping on some iced homemade chai and enjoying time with a good friend. Come by and say hi at elihuscorner.com or visit me on Facebook.com/elihuscorner

21 thoughts on “Avoid Using This Abbreviation”

  1. So true. Abbreviations dont change the meaning – they just mask the words. We need to check it out before using, no matter how cool we want to appear.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Agreed! I guess that’s why I’ve been so surprised to see Christians using it so much on social media because I’ve never heard them say the phrase aloud before. I wondered if I was missing something, but I wasn’t. As I tried to express, I don’t want to sound judgmental, because people may not realize the impact of what they are saying. It’s more about showing love for God than following some list of rules.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Amen, I like this post! I saw a church reader board the other day that said, “if you’re going to curse, use your own name.” It gave me a chuckle because there is truth there.

    There’s also something really profound about how when we smash our finger with a hammer or something, we don’t cry out to fairies or to Buddha, we cry out to God. Shock, surprise, pain, grief, anything that bypasses our brain often causes our mouth to speak God’s name as if He is ingrained in us, innate and known on some level. I once quipped about this atheist guy, often it seems as if He calls on the name of the Lord far more than I do.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I laughed out loud when I read your last sentence! I sometimes wonder if they realize what they’re saying.

      I never really thought about it before, but I think you hit on something true about crying out to God in pain. I guess we just need to be careful about how we do it! Thanks for your comment, IB. You are so good at getting right at the heart of things! God be with you.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  5. I was about 8 when I said the phrase in front of my dad. He, too, gently taught me what it meant and how it was not appropriate to say. It’s been a pet peeve ever since. Great post and I love the church reader board, IB mentioned, “if you’re going to curse, use your own name.”
    Another great post, Elihu!

    Like

    Reply

  6. “This is not a call to legalism, but to love.”

    How about “Oh my Word”. Some Christians think its an innocent replacement… but not for those who know

    we are comfortable exchanging lies for the truth…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Pingback: Oh my…(I dare not say the next word) – Jewish Messiah!

  10. Speaking of vulgar words, I never like to say the actual word, I always just say the first letter or use synonyms, but if someone dares to ask me to say the actual word, it really annoys me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment