A foolish scheme is sin, and people detest a mocker. Proverbs 24:9, TLV
Mocking? Have you ever noticed how the atmosphere changes when someone mocks another person or idea? Making fun of others around us is like pollution? It can stick to our souls like toxic waste — both the giver and receiver. It undermines all that is good.
Good-natured kidding can be fun. It’s okay to not take ourselves so seriously. A bit of laughter over our mistakes can take the edge off failure. But that ribbing can so quickly turn into mocking. It ceases to be helpful when the recipient becomes weary of the jabs. Or it strikes a wound that hurts deeply.
Being careful with our words is important because we are as responsible for the damage we cause to them, as we would be with a weapon.
When others mock us, we can go to our Abba
for detoxification and a restoration of shalom — peace — around us and in us. It begins with forgiveness and then our Heavenly Father begins the healing process.
