Mind you P's and Q's
March 18
From Wikipedia
Mind your Ps and Qs is an English expression meaning "mind your manners", mind your language", "be on your best behavior" or similar. There are several different theories as to the origin of the phrase, but there is no definite proof as to which is correct. One origin of the story of "mind your Ps and Qs" comes from early printing presses. Printers placed individual letters on a frame to print a page of text. The letters were reversed, making it easy to mistake lowercase p's and q's in setting the type. A reminder to stay watchful of the details could have come from this time as well. In a similar setting, the expression has been attributed as an adage for teaching children to spell.
Another origin comes from English pubs and taverns of the seventeenth century. Bartenders would keep a watch on the alcohol consumption of the patrons; keeping an eye on the pints and quarts that were consumed. As a reminder to the patrons, the bartender would recommend they mind their Ps and Qs.
So, why was this phrase on my mind this morning? Yesterday, there was a knock on my door and it was a man from the county tax appraiser's office performing an assessment of property values. He introduced himself and then said, "From the look of these scripture signs in your yard you are not ashamed to call yourself a Christian." Whoa, Nelly! That was a first and probably a lot nicer than what some people think when they see them. We proceeded into a wonderful conversation about the Lord and seemed to be very like minded. He was very knowledgeable. Out of left field, he asked me this question?
How do you explain such a good God allowing evil in the world?
Me, oh, my! Was I ready to give an answer?
I need to mind my P=proclamation, as I minded the Q-question.
My reply began with the fact that God's Word explains we were created with free will. In doing this our love for God would be the "real thing" from our hearts, not a response He had programmed us to have, therefore meaning a lot more to Him. The fall from God's good ways began in the angelic realm with Lucifer getting greedy. When Adam and Eve were created they had the ability to choose good or evil. They choose to do their own thing which ushered in sinful ways for mankind. Humanity continues to gravitate to doing things our way, thinking of self first, which often sets evil in motion against others.
While evil brings suffering, I believe suffering establishes an urgency to access the Presence of God in a way a bright sunny day, with everything going our way might not. This in turns strengthens our relationship with God and acclimates our earthly minds to contemplate the reality of an eternal heaven; thus putting into perspective the process of this limited earthly journey.
Yup, dear friends, the world is volatile right now and we need to be ready to give a reason, from God's Word, for why we believe. What we have to share and the spirit in which we share it could change a life for ever and ever. Amen?
PT Let's pray Romans 15:13 and 1 Peter 3:15
Father, we trust you and revere Christ as Lord. Being the God of hope, please fill us with all joy and peace. In doing so, may we overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope that we have. Equip us to do this with gentleness and respect in a way which brings you glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen
Prayer Request:
I am not a fan of snakes and am going out today to clean debris from our creek. Please pray that I will not disturb any snakes! The devil probably isn't over joyed with my proclamations and may send one of his side kicks to ruffle my skirt!
I am wearing boots and long pants....not a skirt! :)
