James 1:19 –
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
I feel like Arnold Horshack wanting Mr Kotter’s attention… find it on you tube, you will understand.
My “normal” daily journey is to take a chapter and digest it. There is still too much good stuff in Chapter 1 that needs careful consideration.
This thought is very important. We all tend to voice our opinion at the drop of a hat. We often speak without considering the consequences of our words. We blow up over trivia. And we seem to think that it is just part of the times we are living in. If so why did James write these word almost 2000 years ago. He could not have known about his age. People are people. All that changes is the “stuff”.
Listen and you can learn a bunch. Many times we have something to say and completely ignore that person talking to us (Katy, can I get an AMEN?) Anyway – I think this is saying for us to slow down and pay attention. Our thoughts and emotions are not the only important ones. Others count! We may have had some great epiphany, but it will fall on deaf ears if a person is not ready to receive the message!
We should make the other person #1 and ensure that they understand that we respect them and care. Look how Jesus shared His insights. He paid attention to the people and made sure that what He had to say related to them in a way they could understand. Follow His example … We might then “connect”.
Proverbs 10:19 Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.