Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent -Proverbs 17:28a
“Talk Less, Listen More”……..Words that changed my life. Growing up they were words my uncle told me all the time, though I never took heed. It was when I became a Christian that I began to see the effects of my loose tongue on both myself and others around me. And after some trying of my own, I also realized this: It is a lot easier to talk than it is to listen. A lot easier to receive than to give. To live than to die. Listening was very hard for me!
Perhaps this is something you may struggle with. For me it was veil. It had become difficult for me to see value in others and their opinions. Patience, Kindness, Self-Control….I was calling myself a Christian, but I couldn’t bear to not have my voice heard, or to let someone go without showing them the error of their ways, just how right I was, or why I was this or that. In an ironic sort of way, Pride had actually stripped me of the identity that Christ gave me……and my tongue became a tool for me to sort of take it back, but from others. Take it from others rather than receive it from Him. My words were a way for me to take control, to fight for myself, and maintain whatever image I had in mind.
It is in practicing patience with words, that we start SEEING many things for the first time in our lives. Ourselves, people, their burdens, names, weaknesses, their value. And Seeing God too. Yes, our stories may be different, but we all have a mouth and ears. Our hearts do not like to practice restraint on their own, but I urge you to just try it. Make a conscious attempt to be like Jesus in how you speak and listen today! Like the Bible says, prefer other people because of love. When we practice this in the most trying of times……..when we are being falsely accused, disrespected, ignored, hated, talked down to, interrupted……that is when we see that we might not be as good as we thought. It is also when we see the need to lean on God’s Holy Spirit, and He will never fail to help us if we trust Him.
Lord, I receive grace to listen. To pause, and listen not only to others, but to you. I’ve been moving too fast. Help me to trust you, and not myself. I believe you are the One who holds my life. The One with the Final say. Help me to put this Word into practice, even when it is soooooo tempting. I trust in your reward. You have made me righteous, and I am going to live like it. Thank you Jesus!