Whatever! Series

Whatever!

Philippians 4:8, 9

So, you know, it is what it is, but

Americans are annoyed by the use of "whatever" in conversations.

The popular slacker term of indifference was found "most annoying in conversation" by 47 percent of Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll released Wednesday.

"Whatever" easily beat out "you know," which especially grated a quarter of respondents.

The other annoying contenders were "anyway" (at 7 percent), "it is what it is" (11 percent) and "at the end of the day" (2 percent). So reported Associated Press writer Michael Hill on Wednesday of this week.

"Whatever" — pronounced "WHAT’-ehv-errr" when exasperated — is an expression with staying power. Immortalized in song by Nirvana ("oh well, whatever, nevermind") in 1991, popularized by the Valley girls in "Clueless" later that decade, it is still commonly used, often by younger people.

It can be an all-purpose argument-ender or a signal of apathy. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of their race, gender, age, income or where they live.

"It doesn’t surprise me because ’whatever’ is in a special class, probably," said Michael Adams, author of "Slang: The People’s Poetry" and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. "It’s a word that — and it depends how a speaker uses it — can suggest dismissiveness."

Adams, who was not involved in the poll and is not annoyed by "whatever," points out that its use is not always negative. It also can be used in place of other, neutral phrases that have fallen out of favor, like "six of one, half dozen of the other," he said.

But the negative connotation might explain why "whatever" was judged more annoying than the ever-popular "you know," which was recently given a public workout by

Caroline Kennedy during her flirtation with the New York U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton. "You know," Adams notes, is a way for speakers to seek assent from others.

Matthew 15:17-20

17 "Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?

18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ’unclean.’

19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

20 These are what make a man ’unclean’…

(NIV)

We need to change our

WhatEVER

to

WHATever!

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

(NIV)

QUESTIONS FOR THE HEART AND MIND:

“whatever is true…”

QUESTION – Is this real?

Since Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life, then WHATEVER my mind is set upon should pass the Jesus Test. Would Jesus be pleased with how I am connecting this though to my life? A man should always set his thoughts on things which will not let him down.

“whatever is noble…”

QUESTION – Does this thought make me worship?

The word is characteristically used of gods and of temples of the gods. When used to describe a person, it means that that person moves through life as if he were the temple of God.

The eroticism of today is enjoyment without responsibility for the whole person. I heard about a woman who was propositioned for an affair with no strings attached! She knew that love is more than a one-night stand or a string of one-night stands. She also knew that real love means real complete commitment and real responsibility for how our decisions affect others around us. She responded to the proposition: “I love you TOO much for that!” She explained that as much as she enjoyed her friend’s attention, she could not use him in a brief encounter without the lasting care and concern of marriage.

Your body was made for worshipping God!

“whatever is right…”

QUESTION – Does this thought contribute to growth in my relationship with God and my relationships with man?

doing what is right in the sight of God and man

“whatever is pure…”

QUESTION – Is this thought distorted by a motivation to get my own way?

Set your thoughts on what can bear up under God’s scrutiny

“whatever is lovely”

QUESTION – Does this thought produce loving relationships and motivate loving concern?

(only found here in NT)

Have you ever though something about someone that you would never say to their face? Have you ever said something about someone to someone else and had to change the subject when the object of your lack of affection entered the room?