Harmless?

In our Australian culture it is almost expected that to show affection or connection with someone means teasing them, being sarcastic, putting them down and making fun of them.  It is usually light hearted and with humorous intent but the problem is that it is difficult to tell the difference between being mean and being friendly.   If we really care about someone it should not please us to look for the weaknesses, mistakes and insecurities in our friend for the purposes of making them a public spectacle or even for private banter.  Regardless of how many times we have said or heard the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones….” it simply is not true.  The more times we hear negative and derogatory things being said to us and about us the more we tend to believe and be bound by them.  As follower’s of Jesus we are asked to call out the positive, to protect our friends and preserve their dignity.  When we do this we can trust each other more as we know that the truth we share will not be used against us and abused.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
1 Corinthians 13:6 NIV

http://bible.com/111/1co.13.6.NIV