Quick to listen...

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.  God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.  ~ James 1:19-21 (msg)

This verse has been on my mind a lot lately.  It was one of those things that crept up on me...not a booming voice from heaven..but a consistent small quiet reminder - day after day.

I realize, when I am honest with myself and look back, that I have stumbled in this area so much in my life.  I tend to be quick to talk, slow to listen, quick to frustration - then anger.  I realize that a lot of confrontations in my life, have resulted because of not following this Biblical principle.

It's hard for a control freak to realize that you can not force anyone to believe, adhere to, or buy into anything simply by dominating the conversation to get your point across.  If they do, ever, decide to relent - it's not out of them being able to see your point - as much as them being beaten down verbally to the point of exhaustion...and relenting is the only way out.  You can't strong arm beliefs into people.

I see this as a major issue in the past year when it came to the spiritual questions I had with my son.  He had doubts, questions  - and they scared me - so I did what I do best.   Bombard him with information.  This only put a wedge between us.  Thanks be to God, who did not give up trying to reach me with the truths of this verse.  He not only saved my sanity, but was able to keep me from damaging my son's relationship with God, as well as me.

It was so hard for me to grasp the idea that God is more powerful than any words I can say - even when those words are true.  The Holy Spirit convicts, I only confuse and frustrate.

God has taught me to stop, listen, pray - - and that prayer is so much more powerful than anything else I can do.