While studying for the GRE I am finding that some words do not necessarily mean what we think they mean. Somehow, words have changed meaning over the course of time. Case in point, the word nice has definitely changed in meaning. When we think of the word nice now, we think of 1500's definition which is to be agreeable and delightful. With nice being such a good attribute how did we get the phrase, "Nice guys finish last?" Good question and I have an answer for that from www.onelook.com and that is the etymology/origin of the word nice in the 13th century actually meant "foolish" and "stupid" [from the Latin nescius-not knowing]. So the power of words and what they really mean can really have an impact on how our world is formed.
"A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket."
-Charles Peguy
Now if you allow me to go to the Bible on this, Matthew 5:48 says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Again, that one simple word tends to trip us up because we always, "I'm not perfect" or "God knows my heart, I ain't perfect" or some other phrase we say all the time because the word perfect has come to mean flawless. But if we go back to the original definition, perfect means to be "complete" and "ready" and that does not necessarily mean we will be flawless in all that we do. Lets be honest, all of us, as humans, are a work in progress (Psalm 103:14), so being flawless would be a hard task but being complete would not be impossible. The truth is, God wants us to be perfect or ready because that is what He is. We should always be ready, prepared, solid, dependable, etc. because that is what the world needs: people who are complete.
If you look at the world today, there are so many unfinished things and undependable people that things are bound to go wrong when they should not have to if things were prepared the right way and if people were ready. So lets get into the habit of being complete and being ready because the world needs complete love from ready people.
I'm the talk of the city, and you can hear em whisperin
