“Tump” is not a real word.  We say it all the time, but it isn’t legitimate.  If you look it up in the regular dictionary, it won’t be there.  Old dictionaries may have it, but they define it as a “little hill.”  That’s not the “tump” I’m referring to.  I’m speaking about when you “tump” something over; a wheelbarrow can tump over; a garbage pail can tump over; and even a car can tump over.

But when something tumps over, it’s not serious.  It’s an annoyance, an inconvenience, and a pain, but it’s not a disaster.

TUMP is an illegitimate word that says exactly what it means.  It’s a practical word, not a theoretical word.  It’s probably a combination of “tip” and “dump”– which describes it perfectly.  When something gets top-heavy, or gets pressure on its edge, it tips over and dumps the contents out.  How much more descriptive can a word get?

“I tumped over the flower pot when the lawn mower wheel hit it.”

“Mom tumped over the bag of sugar and spilled it in the sink.”

“The girl tumped her little brother out of the stroller in the yard.”

“Johnny, hold on to the bowl so you won’t tump your popcorn out.”

I can go on and on singing the praises of a great word like tump.  It’s great when a word can be true to itself and say what it is.

The same is not true of words like “boned.”

“Boned” chicken is chicken that is no longer on the bone.  But fish that has had the bones removed is called “deboned” fish.  Chickens and fish are both edible creatures and delicious.  It doesn’t make any sense at all.

I want to be like the word, tump.  I want what I profess to be exactly what I am.  I don’t want to confuse anyone about who I am.  I don’t want to play both ends to the middle, or be two different people.  Having a public persona and a private one that are polar opposites of each other is not the way to live a full and meaningful life.

The Bible says it like this– “Faith without works is dead.”  James 2:20 

Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes; and your no be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”  James 5:12

It’s like the word, TUMP.   It is what it is.

It’s called “being authentic; being real.”   

It’s the best way to live.