But ...
CBN.com - The word “but” is one of the most fascinating parts of the English language. A conjunction, yes, its meaning is used to connect coordinate elements. The phrases “on the contrary” and “on the other hand” are right at home when trying to put “but” into perspective. To illustrate, ‘he was called but he did not answer.’
I had never really thought much about the word “but” and how it is used so negatively in the world of sports, politics, and even Christianity, until recently. But (there’s that word again) the more I listened for its usage in general conversation, saw it in print, and observed it in the media, I came to the realization that there is a great deal of polarity in most walks of life.
Driving home from a friend’s house recently I was listening to the Washington Redskins post-game show on the radio. The Redskins, despite the return of legendary coach Joe Gibbs, have had an up and down season. On this particular day, Washington had played splendidly in all phases of the game and had prevented their record from falling to a miserable 2-6. While still four games behind divisional leader Philadelphia, Redskins fans at least had something to be happy about, right?
Wrong. Caller after caller praised the team’s efforts yet always ended their call with a “but”. For example, Lenny from Silver Springs called in and said, “Gee, I thought Clinton Portis was outstanding today and James Thrash was unbelievable on special teams, BUT Mark Brunell could have played so much better.”
Marcus from Alexandria followed in similar fashion. “The Redskins played a great game today BUT they are still four games behind the Eagles in the standings.”
Or how about the long suffering Boston Red Sox? Fresh from winning their first World Series championship in 86 years and finally breaking the “Curse of the Bambino” one would think their fans would be ecstatic. And they are for the most part. However, as I read an article on the team in one of the Boston newspapers a few days after their historic victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, I had to scratch my head in amazement. The essence of the article was as follows: The Boston Red Sox ended 86 years of futility to win the 2004 World Series BUT they will be hard pressed to repeat this success with 12 free agents.
The world of politics is not much better when avoiding the dreaded B word. In a week that saw President Bush win re-election, Republicans extend their majorities in the House and Senate, and gay marriage defeated in all 11 states where it appeared on the ballot, most Conservatives were in a state of euphoria. Yet on a conservative talk radio program I heard one caller complain, “Yeah, all of that was great BUT California still passed a referendum to allow embryonic stem cell research.”
Hmm.
The contrasting effect of the word “but” is even alive in churches from coast to coast. Parishioners, praise team members, even pastors have been known to throw the B-U-T word around in relation to dwindling Sunday school attendance, church finances, youth events, even evangelism outreach. It is hard for me to write this BUT painfully true. Many people have lost the joy of serving the Lord due to the three letter word that begins with the letter B and ends in T.
“BUT I can’t join the choir because I’m not a very good singer.”
“BUT I can’t help with the high school youth group because I don’t relate well to kids.”
“BUT I can’t come to Bible study this week because it conflicts with my favorite television show.”
“BUT I can’t tithe this week because my wife and I really want to go away to the mountains next weekend.”
Just as the word BUT can be used so negatively in sports and politics so too it can be used in similar fashion throughout Christianity. In other words, despite all of the good that is being done in churches throughout the United States, so much more could be accomplished if we were able to eliminate the negative use of the word BUT.
Perhaps the greatest BUT used in the Bible is found in the writings of the apostle Paul. In this case, though, BUT is used in a positive sense. In his letter to the church of Philippi, he challenges, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, BUT made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (
)Often people excuse selfishness, pride, pessimism, or evil by claiming their rights. “I don’t need to attend Bible study because I know enough about scripture already. Besides “Survivor” is on that night.” Or, “The church budget looks really strong so far this year. They don’t need my money.”
But (there is that word again) as believers, we should have a different attitude, one that enables us to lay aside our rights in order to serve others. If we say we want to follow Jesus Christ, we must also say we want to live as He lived. We should develop this spirit of humility as we serve, even when we do not receive recognition for our efforts.
But …
There are no ifs, ands, or buts.
Information contained within this article from the Tyndale Study Bible and the Transformer Study Bible.
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