Proverbs 26:18-19 NKJV

[18] Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, [19] Is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, “I was only joking!”

I grew up in the shadow of an auto repair shop. I had a father, brother, and a plethora of grown men around me all the time. I was accustomed to "shop talk". There was an endless supply of pranks and practical jokes. Hurling insults could have been an Olympic sport. It may not have been normal or healthy to the outside world, but it was the "normal" I grew up in.

I can't rightfully defend a lot of the foolishness that went on. Some of it was downright mean. Much of those norms were carried right into my adulthood as a husband and a father. I could easily dismiss it all as being a product of my upbringing, but that wouldn't do justice to the redemptive power of the blood.

I am born again. I have a duty to die to myself and my old habits and ways of doing things. I am not a gentle spirit by nature. I have to unlearn a lot and relearn even more. I love to joke, but I admittedly need to be less coarse and more repentant. I need to represent Jesus better.