Hear…and…Think…Before…You…Speak

Here is an interesting “exercise” for you to try over the Memorial Day weekend.  If you are in a conversation with two or three people, or you are in position to hear such a conversation; note how many times one person begins to speak before the person speaking stops.  I think you’ll find that rarely does one person finish what he/she is saying before someone else jumps in.  There is almost never two or three seconds of silence before the next person speaks.  If my experience is right, the next section of proverbs is instructive.  Let’s read Proverbs 18:12-13: 

Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.  13 He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

Several times in God’s word we are cautioned to think before we speak.  We are cautioned to “hear” a matter before we answer it.  I find this to be very, very important; yet often difficult to do.  We think we know the answer or the advice that someone needs so we want to jump in and give it…it sort of ties in with the pride vs. humility in verse 12.   However, what we need to do is just listen…and then wait…and then if we still have something important to say, say it.

In wisdom,
Eric

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