3:106 – Being Quiet

#faithbites #faithjourney quiet

I don’t know about you, but I have an opinion on everything. Some are more researched than others, while some are more heart than head. I often find many of us, especially in times of fear or the unknown, we have stronger opinions and speak out about them. This doesn’t always go well as it conflicts with others ideas, thoughts, and opinions. Sometimes, we just need to keep our opinions to ourselves, or just be quiet.

It’s hard to do especially when our opinions are challenged. There is power in remaining silent and thinking before you speak.

Do you keep your opinions to yourself? Are you quiet when you need to be? How is that balance in your life?

Scripture

• Proverbs 17:27-28 – A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
• 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.
• Ecclesiastes 9:17 – Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king.

Reflection

Do you remember the old 70s and 80s commercials that said “When E.F Huton speaks, people listen”? It was about an investment banker. It was powerful because his words were seen as true. There are people I admire who almost never speak in meetings but when they do people stop to listen. There words are important. They spend most of the time listening, are slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Unfortunately, I have never been one of those people.

God wants us to be like that. To love, be open, even-tempered, use few words, understand, and help others. We don’t need to boast or speak all the time to get our point across. Fewer words can be a benefit.

In our world of instant connections and 24 x 7 news, it’s hard to step back and separate news from opinion, fact from fiction. If we all spoke less, listened more, and were slower to take offense or get angry, we can have a deeper understanding of each other.

When you aren’t quiet, you can’t hear. When you don’t hear, you can’t understand. Let’s start listening more.

Challenge

A former colleague of mine was like me and talked all the time in meetings. She then challenged herself to be quiet. She would play a little game in her head. First she would wait before two people spoke before she spoke. Then she would increase the time before she spoke. This had her speak less but when she did speak it was more impactful. More listening, less speaking.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help us to be quiet. Let us rest on our understanding of you and your word. Help us to not have to speak all of the time but turn us into listeners and doers of your word. We want to be heard, but sometimes just peaking into the void doesn’t help. Let us know that you will tell us when and how to share. In your name, Amen.