TCTC - 3

I came to a realization about myself last weekend—I talk too much. Perhaps it is the nature of my job (always being up front, in charge, leading people, directing them). Or perhaps it is the nature of my personality. Or perhaps it is a lack of discipline. I think in the end it is a combination of all three. I always am directing people because my calling has agreed with my personality. And now, I have stopped listening well. I talk too much.

How do I know? I couldn’t talk much all of Saturday. I had to whisper, use sign language, or just not say anything. And as I reflect on that experience, I really enjoyed it. More than that, it seems that many people talked more to me. I get frustrated when youth group kids seem disengaged and not overly interested in being involved in a meaningful conversation. But not this weekend. It seems like almost all the students I encountered had something to say. And maybe they could actually say it because I wasn’t interrupting or talking over them.

As I look back on life, I think that I go through phases of talking too much and having the wisdom to listen. In high school, I was a talker, or to put it more precisely, a debater. In college I still debated, but I think I got to the point of inserting my points in the midst of others’ without dominating the conversation. Then, in seminary, I did a lot more listening.

I don’t know if the company I am in dictates my responses or not. But I need to learn to properly apply the proverbs better:

“Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.”
Proverbs 26:4-5

Sometimes wisdom means speaking out. Sometimes it means just listening. Or maybe I just need to lose my voice more often.