cast out the scorner

"Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease."

Proverbs 22:10

Merriam-Webster defines "scorn" as "open dislike and disrespect or derision often mixed with indignation; an expression of contempt or derision." Scorn is an attitude: a proud, disrespectful way of treating others and their views, requests, and actions. It's not hard to see why it leads to strife, because others react badly to being treated this way!

I always imagine some prince, ruler, or employer reading Solomon's words and realizing that the continual problems among their underlings stem from a scorner in the ranks. That fictional ruler would waste no time ousting the problem: with a confrontation and a figurative kick in the pants, the scorner be out the door. The image always makes me smile, like that scene in every good story where the bad guy gets his comeuppance.

But my own life has seen the effects of scorn, and in my case there's no one I can boot out the door. As in so many cases, the root of my problems is me--my own attitude of disdain toward others. If I'm to quell strife and reproach in my own circles, I can begin by casting out the scorner within.

Casting scorn out of my heart doesn't mean adopting a sort of false "tolerance" that puts every idea or action on equal footing. Right is right; wrong is wrong; and true and false are still opposites. Instead, casting out the scorner means ridding myself of disdain toward others. It means loving the people who cross my path and realizing that I am no better than they are. If I have any extra light, it's only because God has graciously chosen to shine it in my life.