“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.–Dr. Paul Chappell
