Misspellings

ByHal Hammons

I like food videos.  I’m always looking to learn how to do something better.  And I love anything having to do with food that does not increase my calorie count.

But I have to question the credibility of some of these so-called experts.  For instance, I recently ran across a link to a video about “easy crispy chilli beef.”  And that is not a typo.  Chilli.  A little part of this Texas boy died when he saw that.  And it was spelled the same way in both the video title and the big, boldface words on the thumbnail.  This was no accident.  The person making the video thought that was how you spelled the name of one of the greatest foods on earth.

Misspellings are not the greatest sin in the world.  We’ve all been guilty; even in the era of spellcheck and squiggly red lines, I find errors in my printed material on a regular basis.  But I must say in my defense, I rarely misspell anything of primal significance — the name of Jesus, for instance.  And I don’t do it twice in close proximity.

Repeated misspellings weakens your credibility.  If you don’t know how to spell a topic, how much could you possibly know about it?  It’s not a necessary inference, but it’s close.  If you’re resigned to being a “bad speller,” quit writing.  Stick to audio.  No shame in that.  But don’t put your weakness in the spotlight.

Saying the right thing is not enough — not when speaking the words of God, at least.  Your attitude matters (James 3:1).  Your approach matters (Colossians 4:6).  Your consistency, or lack thereof, matters (Matthew 7:1-4).  If you don’t care enough about the words you are saying to say them correctly, perhaps you should rethink whether you should be speaking at all.

 

 

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