Two Ears and a Mouth

Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

That is my mantra for today. It’s my focus. It’s my meditation and my pit stop for a while.

My mother used to say God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. He wants us to listen more than he wants us to talk.

That does not come naturally to me. I’m a talker by nature, plus I’m a woman which makes it doubly worse. Women are said to have 5 times as many words to speak per day as a man does. Then there’s the catch that I’m a talkative woman, so I’m pretty much doomed.

It’s interesting that talking and anger are paired together. The more I talk, the more opportunity for anger I have. That’s a fact. And the angrier I get about something, the more I want to talk. Either way, God says slow down betty. Don’t talk so much. Don’t react so much. Simmer down.

In James 1:20 God gives us the reason for this mandate. He says that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires”. Want to be godly? Stop talking. Want to grow in Christ-likeness? Learn to listen. Want to be righteous? Give up that chip on your shoulder. Let go of your anger.

That’s not always so easy to do. If you’re like me, you live in a world where people step on your toes and get in your way. I find that the right-er I am the more people attack me, and the angrier I get. How dare they question my judgment? How dare they criticize me? How dare they disagree?

The more I talk the less I give myself a chance to listen to God’s perspective. Anger gets in the way of my holiness. Anger gets in the way of my seeing that there is a bigger thing going on around me. The issue typically isn’t whether I’m right or wrong in a particular situation. The issue is never really that particular circumstance I’m facing. It’s usually a much bigger battle going on in the unseen realm.

Will I humble myself and give up my right for self-justice and self-righteousness for the sake of embracing the righteousness that God demands? Will I identify with Christ who is my example of wrongful suffering and willful meekness in the face of unwarranted hate? Will I choose to obey the Lord in every circumstance, trusting Him with the outcome?

Will I be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger?

Related posts: