By Paul Chappell
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift
to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls."
James 1:19–21
Some of our problems come from the fact that we are slow to
do things we should and fast to do things we should not. One of the areas in
which this displays itself for many is in our hearing and speaking. Lehman
Strauss asked, “Could it be that we are not more ‘swift to hear’ because we are
not ‘slow to speak’? God gave us two ears and only one mouth. Should we not be
twice as swift to listen and learn?”
Many times conflicts arise in churches, marriages,
friendships and work relationships because someone jumps to a conclusion
without knowing all of the facts and begins telling everyone they know what
they think happened. These people may be quite sincere in what they are doing,
but they can be destructive nonetheless. It is impossible to recall words once
they have been spoken. Mark Twain said, “A lie can travel halfway around the
world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”
Do not be in a hurry to repeat things that are told to you,
and be sure to evaluate the facts before you reach a conclusion. Solomon
reminds us, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and
shame unto him” (Proverbs 18:13). While there is a time to speak up for what is
right, we should never respond in haste or anger. Rather, we should be quick to
listen and make sure that we fully understand the situation before we begin to
speak.
Today's Rooted Principle:
Be faster to listen than you are to speak, and you will find
your life much more peaceful.
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