Tuesday, April 13, 2021

We Really Need to Think Before We Run Our Mouths

 ...or whatever other orifice we're used to communicating out of.  

When you meet a stranger, you have no idea where that person started from, or how far he has come from where he started.  You really have no idea what he has had to overcome to get to where he is right now.  

What looks to you like a train wreck, to him might be a hard-fought victory.  As bad as that person's condition appears to you, it might be orders of magnitude of improvement from where he began.    

And, it may be that he does not see how much progress he's made.  The reality is that we are often not the best judges of where we are in relation to where we've been, and where we ought to be.

For these reasons, a tongue-lashing from you under the guise of "charity" or "fraternal correction" just might be the last thing that person needs.  You really cannot know how devastating and discouraging your words can be to someone who is already struggling, and already too ready to believe the worst.  And the more convinced you are of the righteousness of what you're doing, the less likely you will be to grasp the full horror of it, until you are standing before God in judgment and He confronts you with both your words and the fullness of the effects they have wrought.

Yes, we will be held accountable for every last word.  As somebody with very strong opinions and a very big mouth, it's sobering to think of how much I have failed over the years to take seriously this truth that comes straight from the mouth of Christ in the Gospels.  

For the sake of the common good as well as for our own welfare, we should probably all spend a lot more time with our mouths and other orifices closed.

4 comments:

  1. Oh.... yes ma'am I am guilty of that failing too. Over the years and by the grace of God I have learned to shut up, but some of my past still haunts me.
    I remember an old fellow saying you don't learn anything when you are talking.

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    1. Ain’t that the truth. I have regretted opening my mouth far more often than I have regretted keeping it shut.

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  2. People only listen to those they believe love them. If we want to influence someone we first have to know them. I always smile at people even those whose dress offends me like those wearing obscene T-shirts or covered with tattoos. The world is such a mess that I presume they are lost in a sea of confusion. That applies to personal contacts. With those publicly scandalizing like Biden, Pelosi, et al, strong words are in order!

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  3. BTW Anita, this is my first visit to your blog. From one crusty Catholic to another, I love it and will be visiting both your blogs and linking from my blog.

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