sarcasm

(Doug stands up.) "Hi. My name is Doug, and I'm sarcastic."

Okay, now everyone together, "Hi Doug!"

(Doug sits back down.)

I have to admit, I am sarcastic. I enjoy being sarcastic. If I decided one day to no longer be sarcastic, I think part of who I am would die on that day.

Okay, so the truth is that I offend people sometimes with my sarcasm. BUT, you see, I used to offend a whole lot more people than I do now. I like to think of myself as "sarcastic...but with tact." Yeah, that's better.

So, needless to say, this will not be a "don't be sarcastic anymore" public service announcement. Although I have been very convicted lately about my sarcasm. It's not sarcasm in itself that is starting to bother me, it is when and why I decide to be sarcastic.

I'm having this flashback right now. I remember being in high school. I remember going on a mission trip to Honduras. I remember tender moments together as a group on cool evenings with hardly any light. I remember things getting really serious as teenagers shared what God was teaching them on this mission trip and how they had bonded with other teenagers on that trip.

Than I remember putting my foot in my mouth by being the smart aleck.

I remember it being my turn to encourage other people around the circle. I remember making jokes and giving back-handed compliments. I remember my youth pastor looking at me and shaking his head.

It wasn't that I was a jerk. It wasn't that I didn't like the other people. These were my best friends in the world for crying out loud.

I now realize that it was that I was uncomfortable.

I was uncomfortable talking about my feelings. I was uncomfortable being serious. I was afraid someone might see who I really was behind this shell of sarcasm. They might not like what they see.

So, here is my public service announcement: Be sarcastic if you want. BUT please be serious when you should be serious. Be vulnerable when you should be vulnerable. Let others into your life so that God can use them to make you better.

Oh, and while your at it, check out this out. It's a list of every time the apostle Paul wrote the words "one another." It shows how desperately we need to let others into our lives.