Yes, I am the one. I am that writer who loves clichés. I am an editor’s dream come true.
But it is not the laziness of them that I love; it is the word game they play and the hunt of discovering their true meaning. Many people use them—that is how they become what they are. But often, most people don’t bother to find out where they come from.
But I do.
While I often have to shy away from them in my formal writing, the internet appears to be the wild, wild west. So, why not start a post series on clichés? How about we start with . . .
“A house divided cannot stand.”
Ah! One from the Bible. And it isn’t just in there once. The gospels thought it so important that it is mentioned in three of them.
Jesus said these words to the crowd when they were acting, well, divided. Some were creating division in the crowd, and some were divided on the inside. Hmm. That doesn’t sound familiar at all.
So why those words? What was He really saying?
He was pointing out that He obviously wasn’t the enemy, because it would not make sense for the enemy to divide up and destroy his own work. I am sure it is no accident that He threw in a lesson about unity at the same time. Because in that day and time, “house” meant more than a building.
They would have easily understood the “if I split that wooden roof beam in two halves, my branch-layered roof may end up on my head.” But they also were living in a time of dynasties and family lines of royalty, in addition to having all the stories of the Old Testament. They knew what happened to divided kingdoms. This was not a turn of phrase. It was a clear reminder that they had a choice.
It’s a pretty good reminder.
A reminder that the enemy isn’t worried about dividing his work, but is very excited about dividing yours. A reminder that unity is more than words. It’s an active choice.
I personally don’t like watching things fall down. Whether it is in my own heart or outside my door, I know what divided looks like. And I know what happens to the ceiling and the kingdom when it stays that way.
I think I will start with my own house. Praying today I can be more than words divided.
