Are there talkers in your life?
Proverbs 13:3--Do you know talkers? People who can shove more words into a moment than circus clowns in a funny car?
Are you a talker?
Chances are at some point we all are. And there is a reason for that. Science says that humans, need to communicate to survive.
Think of the early hunters. Someone yelling, "Watch out for that lion!" was pretty important. Today, parents yelling, "Watch out for that car!" is also very important.
Words for education, getting a job, working a job, finding a mate, building a family are also very important.
Our faith centers around GOD's word. Praise and worship are our sacred words to the Creator of the Universe.
All good things, except honestly, we're talking a whole lot more than that. And what we're talking about is, well, a bit self-centered. Science tells us people spend 60% of their conversations talking about themselves, 80% when chatting on social media. The reason, these brilliant researchers found, was that it just feels good. Surprise!
Unfortunately, our attention span has significantly decreased over the years to around 59 seconds, and in some cases as little as eight seconds!
Ideally our conversations should be give and take, with each person speaking about 50% of the time. That means staying quiet half the time. In the silence we can hear what is being said and it's easier to discern the truth.
When ministering to someone, the percentages would change, I imagine. The idea is to allow someone to share their heart. Our part in the conversation is to draw out from them so that we can help.
If we tend to monopolize a conversation, we run the risk of alienating others.
If we use too many words to fill the air with our voice, we run the risk of people tuning us out and missing the important things we can say.
When we are careful with what we say, we can avoid a lot of problems with offense, anger, disingenuousness, poor reputations, and so much more.
Winston Churchill said that it takes as much courage to listen as it does to speak. I think that's wise.
May we have the courage and discipline to listen, my friends.
Proverbs 13:3--He who watches his mouth protects his life, but whoever opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs
[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
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