Name calling

I referred to a guy this week as a jerk. I don’t really know him and my use of the word was to ask a mutual friend, “Is ___ a jerk?” But I can’t stop thinking that I called a guy a “jerk.” Probably inappropriate and unfair. Now I’m thinking about name-calling in general. I think perhaps it’s not so bad to call someone a name, to their face, if they are your good friend—you know, all in good jest and fully expecting an equal come-back in YOUR face in reply. All LOL all around. But to designate someone, especially behind their back with a derogatory, diminishing term. Maybe I just should not do that. Well, with this restraint I certainly was not raised. And name-calling has been common enough among many of my friends. But then I think about the most respected people I have met in my life, rarely did I ever hear name-calling come out of their mouths. In fact, I remember a man falling several clicks down my respect-ladder (who was a revered community leader) when he referred to a mutual acquaintance as a “typical Jew.” I was very surprised. I was glad the acquaintance never heard that. And I have been called “fundamentalist,” “racist,” “patriarchal white male,” “DTS fool” and probably other things. I appreciated none of those monikers. So I shouldn’t do it either, right? O Lord, help me to grow out of my adolescent way of sometimes minimizing people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.