I have to say after reading this chapter on silence I was so convicted I cried. It is embarrassing to admit, but I will. I like to be right. I like to share my opinion. I like to talk and be the center of attention. I have a problem with listening before speaking. As the author put it I have a “haughty tinge” in my heart; this need to share my every thought. There is great power in silence. There is power in knowing when to speak, and when to be quiet. I need to listen.The best gift you can give someone is your time. To REALLY listen says a lot. What we say by not listening says a lot about us.
It is not enough to say “I am going to watch what I say.” This is a heart issue. “For the abundance of the heart [the] mouth speaks (Luke 6:45 AMP)
I need to change the foundation. My heart. Just as the rudder steers a ship, so the tongue steers the body. To control your tongue is to have control of your own body (James 3:2). For out of the mouth the heart speaks.
I am praying for God to change my heart. To rid my need to speak every thought. The need to be right and make sure everyone knows how right I am. I want to be a listener. I want to speak after considering what I have heard so that my words edify, nourish, and benefit others. I pray that the Lord will change my heart’s haughty tendency, and that I may be more prudent and purposeful. I don’t need everyone to know I am right when it really doesn’t matter. That is not to say I won’t speak up for something, but I will be more discerning. Knowing when to speak, or to hold my tongue. I resolve to listen: contemplating, weighing, and waiting. This is wisdom. This is power.
I am so humbled to know that God loves me despite my flaws, and is patient with me as I strive to be more like Him. Thank you, Lord.
“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for [their] own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
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