Slow To Speak
Suprina Frazier
International Best Selling Author Publisher
Bridges & Channels Enterprises, LLC
Picture a bright sunny Friday morning. Its fall, so the weather is not too hot, not too cold … just right. The time – 11 o’ clock-ish. The place – a local grocery store.
I’ m standing in line at the customer service booth, minding my own business as I wait to get a money order, when my ears suddenly pick up parts of an ongoing conversation about women who shouldn’ t be having babies and why. The three participants in this conversation are several people ahead of me. They are very loud and opinionated.
I remain silent. Everyone has a right to their opinion. I don’ t feel compelled to share mine on the subject. Nor is God prompting me to say anything. In fact, I sense Him telling me NOT to speak. I obey.
Instead of giving my two cents, I silently take note of the loud talkers as well as the‘ seemingly’ pregnant woman in front of me. The loud talkers look to be in their 30s and 40s. The‘ pregnant’ woman looks to be in her late 50’ s. On top of that, she has a small child with her.
Like me, the older woman is silent as well, except her face is stoic and indifferent – not an emotion in sight. In contrast, the little girl with her is a ball of energy, unable to stand still and too willing to push a buggy that doesn’ t belong to them.
After the loud talkers leave, the formerly stoic woman begins to go off.“ I started to curse them out, but I had my grandbaby with me,” she says.“ I’ m not pregnant. That’ s fluid buildup because of a medical condition.”
I say nothing as I silently digest the information I’ d just been given. Like the loud talkers, I also thought she was pregnant. Unlike them, I didn’ t try to make her feel bad about it. Now that I know that she isn’ t carrying a child, I realize that I suddenly have one more thing to add to my prayer list.
“ And even if I was pregnant, who are they to say who should and should not have a baby?” the woman continues to rant.“ A person can have as many as they want. Why are they worrying about it? It’ s not like they would have to take care of them.” She sighed and added,“ And I don’ t know what’ s gotten into my granddaughter today. She was so good during yesterday’ s outing. Today she’ s all over the place.”
Again, I sense that I need to be slow to speak. So I just nod to acknowledge her words and her right to vent. And vent she did … the whole time she conducted her business with customer service. We all got an earful that day.
Unfortunately, the woman let those people, combined with her rambunctious granddaughter, upset her so badly that she walked out the store moments later, leaving her wallet behind. Fortunately, she was still in the parking lot, so I was able to rush out and catch her just as she was strapping her granddaughter into the car seat. You should have seen her face. She looked extremely relieved to find me so helpful and most of all, so nonjudgmental. She instantly began to calm down. Amazingly, so did her granddaughter.
As we went our separate ways a few minutes later, I marveled at how important it is to know when to speak and when to remain silent
( Ecclesiastes 3:7). How we should always be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry( James 1:19).
We never know what people are going through and why. Nor do we know how deeply our words and actions can affect someone. Today I pray that you decide not to wound anyone with your words and actions, but instead LIVE WITH MORE wisdom, compassion, and love for others.
© 2014 by Suprina Frazier _________________________________
Some people know her by Suprina Frazier. Others by her pen name Mi ' Chelle Dodson. Regardless of which name she goes by, her books have been known to stir the soul, encourage the heart, and tickle the funny bone. They are Suprina’ s way of entertaining, inspiring, and enlightening the masses through romantic fiction.