I was on vacation and thankfully unplugged much of the time that the debate was unraveling about President Obama's speech to the school children in our country. It was nice. The speech was today, and leading up to it and soon thereafter, a rage was building inside of me. I don't agree and am saddened with much that has apparently transpired over the past week, and I certainly don't understand the opposition to his speech or its curriculum.
Today, Facebook was my way of letting out my frustration about what I believe to be nonsense. And, right now, I am feeling a little convicted. I was typing a long winded, well-thought out response to a post about President Obama's speech, and then just like that, I was taken to my log in screen... all of those profound thoughts went ::: POOF ::: before I had time to post them.
I have been working on trying to control my desire to make my thoughts known... expressing my opinion at every turn... coveting the last word in a debate... making my words the loudest and the most succinct... catching you without a solid response. And, within the past couple of hours, I have been reminded AGAIN that silence may be the shortest and best way to wisdom.
[Even as I type this, I want to be passive aggressive, making a dig here and a dig there, to the political right. It is practically killing me!]
Lately, when [sometimes] considering whether I should speak or be silent (work in progress, my friends), I have been trying to slow down to consider my motive in having my opinion known. I recently read a blog where the blogger was doing the same. She posed these questions: Who or what am I trying to control? Am I seeking vindication and why? Am I seeking to pass judgment on someone or something? Or, am I hoping they make me look better and someone else worse? In almost every instance that I have felt the need to stop or retract, my motive includes a combination of all of the above.
Don't think I am trying to fool you, this doesn't mean I believe I should never open my mouth again or voice my opinion. But when what I have to say is likely already known or has been said a hundred times before, or if it cannot be said in love and with respect, there is no point in saying it again for my own motives.
“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (Proverbs 18:2)
" ...be slow to speak, quick to listen” (James 1:19).
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