“Being Quiet, Listening, and Learning”

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:3-6 (NIV)

I have learned some valuable lessons through my experiences as I age. One of the hardest lessons is definitely when to just put my hand over my mouth and say nothing. The times that I haven’t followed this, I really regretted it because of the pain my words caused someone else. It is a horrible feeling when you look into someone’s eyes in moment like this. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit puts my hand over my mouth when I should be silent. He does this a good bit. It is really tough to be quiet when you get a disrespectful response from someone, when something is unfair, or when it is someone that you love and you are only trying to help. Praying over a situation and giving a response a few days later, has really worked for me. It may not end like I want it to end, but I feel like I can walk away from a situation and not feel like the worst person walking the earth. So just like James 3:3 teaches that a bit in a horses mouth can turn the whole animal, so can a bit in ours turn a situation around.

The other hard lesson I’ve learned with age is to “listen and learn.” I know the day that the Lord helped me figured all this out, my mama, Brenda Sue Payne Watkins, jumped up and shouted from the Heavens, “Thank you Jesus!” I gave her SO much grief as a teenager. I rarely ever listened and definitely didn’t learn from mistakes, or if I did, it was at a kind of “sloth” speed.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Counting My Blessings,

Susan Browder

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