On Speaking, Listening And Being Angry

We're nearly a month down the line from my last post, so feel it appropriate that there should be an apology to my select readership about the delay in posting anything new.

I have been busy running around here, there and everywhere as usual, but have also been revisiting the topic for my BA dissertation in my Bible study over the last few days. My topic intended to look at the media and see whether it could relate to the New Testament book of James and the challenge to be wary of the power of our words. I'm not going to post any of that dissertation here, so don't worry. It was soundly panned, so no need to inflict it on a wider audience than has already been exposed to it.

But over past days I have been pondering again on the challenge in James 1:19 to be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to become angry.

I don't just want to add more words to the internet just for the sake of being able to do so. Hence the slow to speak and slow to blog for the month of February.

The second part of the challenge is to be quick to listen. I've made it my business to listen a lot this month. I have heard a lot. Problems from colleagues. Disappointment towards me from other Christians. Friends who are over the moon. Friends who feel they are facing down into an abyss.

The point I've realised in amongst all the words I have heard is that all of them have have a profound impact on my month, and in some cases, my life as a whole.

Having realised afresh the power of the words of others, I've been more determined to be slow to speak and appreciate the power of my words on others.

For me, this stems from a paranoia that I have nothing of any benefit to say to those who look to me for words. My team, the young people I work with, my church, my family, my friends all look to me for words. Yet for all my worries that I've got no idea of the right thing to do or say, I never stop to say 'I don't know'. Which would be preferable to saying some words to fill a silence and actually then finding that those careless words have had an impact far beyond their original intention and made something worse.

It's a tough challenge. I spent a year living with these speech ethics in James running around my head for the disseration, and I still feel I've not got them sorted out, five years down the line.

I hope it doesn't take another five years to realise I should be faster to listen than I am to respond with words.

And I know what you are thinking. He's not addressed the third part of the challenge, about being slow to become angry.

I'll get round to that as soon as I have mused on it some more.

But don't push me on it. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.