Leonard Sweet, in one of the regular podcasts I listen to, introduced me to the word floccinaucinihilipilification (Napkin Scribbles, “Are You Addicted to Floccinaucinihilipilification?” 2/21/2008). Apparently, it’s a favorite of word lovers, crossword puzzle addicts, and serious Scrabble players. According to Wikipedia, “it is the longest non-technical word in the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary” (go here to see the Wikipedia article), and another website claims that is has been listed as the longest “real” word in the 1992 and following editions of The Guinness Book of World Records, beating antidisestablishmentarianism by one letter (29 to 28).

Floccinaucinihilipilification was formed through the running together of four Latin words – flocci, nauci, nihili, and pilifi – all of which mean “of little value” or “for nothing”. Although rarely used, the word is a noun that is “the estimation of something as valueless” (see Dictionary.com). In other words, when you are putting something down, complaining, or criticizing, you are participating in floccinaucinihilipilification.

Do you suffer from floccinaucinihilipilification? Do you find yourself constantly putting down the things around you – people, situations, family, your car, school, friendships, government, church, etc.? While it’s not a disease, and there’s no pill to cure it, I do believe that floccinaucinihilipilification is contagious. Surrounded by people with the malady, we can find ourselves caught up in it as well. Negativity just seems to breed negativity. And to me, that’s just not what we’re about as Christians.

Leonard Sweet feels that the church suffers from floccinaucinihilipilification, and the writer of unChristian definitely agrees. (By the way, I highly recommend unChristian. It may be the most important book about the church I have ever read.) We who make up the church have a reputation of telling everyone what’s wrong with them. As if we’ve got it all together. Jesus warned us of this pitfall when he said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41, NIV). Read this passage in The Message to hear about what Jesus thinks of us when we start putting other people down to lift ourselves up – Luke 6:37-42. Just to whet your appetite, it starts with: “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment.”

Jesus didn’t participate in floccinaucinihilipilification. Instead, he always seemed to find the best in people. He saw potential in prostitutes, possibilities for lepers, and promise in the hearts of fishermen. Jesus always seemed to find the good in the people with whom he came into contact. He treated Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector who climbed a tree, like he was the most important person in town that day. He touched people who were “unclean” and hadn’t been touched in some time. He fed people when they were hungry, healed them when they were sick, and showed them the love of God even when they felt (and were probably told) that they were unlovable. Even from the cross, Jesus was able to focus on the confession of faith from one of the thieves crucified with him (Luke 23:39-43) and to ask God to forgive the very people who were killing him (Luke 23:34-35). Jesus looked for the good in people when he walked the earth, and he continues to do the same for us today.

With Jesus at work in our lives, we should not get involved in floccinaucinihilipilification. Like Jesus, we should be looking for the good, not the bad. We should be like treasure hunters seeking the value in people and not putting them down. We should be the ones who see God in the commonplace – like friends, sunrises, circumstances, enjoyable times, the snow on Pikes Peak, and more. God is at work in the “ordinary” stuff of life, even the stuff that might look bad to us.

May we not find ourselves victims of floccinaucinihilipilification. In fact, may we do the opposite. May we be people who find the good in things; who find God in everyday life. The Bible says it this way, “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, bold added by me).