TODAY THE WORD is SHUSH. How many of you have an idea of what shushing” means? As I like to take us down memory lane, I remember being told to hush (and for any of you who don’t know it is the same thing as refined people might say “be quiet”). Hush means a little more feeling than be quiet but “shush” is a definite commandment of you had better cease talking NOW. When we were young, some of us were privy to good parents who had our best interests at heart; while at the same time parents believed children should be seen and not always heard. I have mentioned several times there were four of us children with less than five years from the oldest to the youngest. We would go to our aunts and uncles’ homes and we weren’t allowed to romp and stomp all over their homes. We were usually lined up on a sofa listening to the grown folks reminiscing over the good ole days. If we started talking among ourselves, we usually received a hush signal but shush was reserved for the words which shouldn’t have aired. We stopped in our tracks or seats and would have a slight of memory if someone asked what we had said. I figured out the additional S was added to remind us of a stop sign or in other words stop what you are saying. Now, let’s come to the present day and see how this might be a good word to reintroduce to society. I find people’s mouths running amuck and almost everyone seems to need a signal when words which should stay in thought form and not reach airways. I see people writing the most personal things on social media and I am thinking, “Are you thinking?” or would this be a good time for a qualified “Shush”. Opening up at the right time can be helpful and I do believe it is good to talk with someone when things are bothering us, but why is it necessary to discuss personal, family, and financial problems to people who may not care enough to actually care. A good rule of thumb may be to “Shush” unless you are in the company of one who you trust with personal affairs. All of us have to vent at different times in our lives and it can be therapeutic if we can talk and others listen with good intentions. However, if you don’t want any dirty laundry to be hung out for others to see, it might be a good time to practice “Shush”
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
1 John 4:1 ESV
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
(c) copyright 2014 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.
