"God Almighty"

Oh, great gaddamighty,

That’s what he’d always say,

But anytime Mom heard it,

Said it was not okay.

Sid, you know you’re takin’,

The Good Lord’s name in vain,

He’d smile and just say yes ma’am,

Later, let it fly again.

It’s not that Sid did not believe,

Or that he was foul-mouthed,

He was just a working man,

A cowboy in the south.

And it was just his habit,

Not hard-core stuff at all,

But Mama didn’t like it,

She’d let him know it, y’all.

They were havin’ a church meetin’,

For two weeks every night,

And they were all a-prayin’,

For folks to get things right.

And Mama said that Sid should go,

Surprised us when he did,

Looked up and at the altar call,

He’s cryin’ like a kid.

And, yes, old Sid got baptized,

And went on back to work,

Taking care of Daddy’s ranch,

And not a job he’d shirk.

But no more gaddamighty,

But more like mercy dern,

Think it was the real thing,

By new language that he learned.

Mama went to heaven,

Signed off at ninety-four,

Dad went there at eighty,

Twenty years before.

Not sure about my old friend, Sid,

First cowboy that I knew,

I’m sure he made a lot of miles,

Before his life was through.

But way back in my memory,

I retrieved this moment fine,

When he found God Almighty,

Used to say it all the time.

“Don’t. use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Ephesians 4:29, NLT)

Jesus said how we talk reflects the condition of our hearts. That said, sometimes the process of cleaning up our language and replacing the wrong habits takes time. It’s not about just staying away from foul or abusive language, but about learning to habitually encourage others by what we say. There is power in the spoken word, and especially in what we habitually speak. God uses words like seeds to produce a righteous crop.

Lord, let our words reflect that we belong to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Robert Shoofly Shufelt, used by permission. Thanks, and God bless you.