pastorswifelife

I don’t care; I couldn’t care less; I really don’t care; Ask me if I care; Do I look like I care?……….how very awful to say or worse yet, to hear this sentiment.

Truthfully, I am ashamed of myself, for I too have vocalized at least one of these very ugly statements.  I not only have said it to friends and family, but also to co-workers and worse yet, my very best friend – Earl, my husband.

Recently Earl and I were discussing something (my memory at this point is such that I tend to forget unpleasant discussions or events and I merrily go on my way as if everything is just fine), therefore, I can’t tell you what that something was.  But I can tell you that in the conversation I said, “I could care less.”  Earl looked at me kind of oddly and corrected me saying that the correct expression is, I couldn’t care less.  Of course this stopped me in my tracks because once I thought about it, I realized how right he was.

Researching, I found out that the original statement of, “I couldn’t care less” came from the British and in the 1950’s came to the USA.  We are the only ones that actually say, “I could care less.”  In other words, we do care, at least a little.  But it is a contradictory statement if our intention is to indicate that we don’t care at all.

It seems statements like these have just become part of our everyday vernacular.  We say them when someone tells us something of which we don’t agree.  Or when we want a derisive verbal come back to imply that what someone has to say to us, has no effect on us at all. How about at work, when someone gives their opinion and we tell them that we really don’t care?  What we are saying is that their opinion doesn’t matter, only ours does.

I have asked God to help me think a little more before I speak and before I react with a cruel word. I never once thought about what I was actually saying.  How awful is that?  For in prayer and mulling over this one little statement, I have found and I believe that Jesus never spoke such an uncaring statement to anyone, even including the Pharisees. 

I do care.  I care about a lot of things.  And I care about everyone.  I truly care about their thoughts and opinions.  I am grateful that God has revealed to me another sin of my old self that still needs to be cleansed and removed.  It’s peculiar how we sometimes don’t even recognize the sin that we are still living in even after professing Christ and serving Him for years.  

We are instructed to reprove our brother/sister in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 (in part) “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,…reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction….”  I welcome the reproof, knowing it’s for my own good.