The Absent Are Safe Here

This weekend I listened to a podcast sermon by Haddon Robinson in which he told a story about Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia International University. He put up a plaque in his living room that said, “The Absent Are Safe Here.” That meant that neither he nor his wife would speak unkindly about those not present. Whenever they had guests who began to speak negatively about others, he would not interrupt but instead would simply gaze at the plaque until the guests saw it and got the message.

No cheap shots
No sharing of gossip
No repeating of rumors
No judging of motives
No sharing of details that should remain private
No trash talk
No insinuations
No angry invectives
No making yourself look good at the expense of others
No maximizing the sins of others
No adding aggravating details to make the absent look worse
No dismissing an unkind remark by saying, “I was only joking.”

So here we are–the day after Easter. This is a good time to make a new start. We would do well to ponder this question today. Are the absent safe around you?