There are several different situations that this applies to, apparently. Some of them are deeply held beliefs by an individual. Some of them are ideas which are clearly wrong (but not "End of the world" wrong). Some of them are simply people being what they are.
What made it more complicated this week was the fact that I am not sleeping well and therefore am tired.
It is surprising to me how much this one aspect of my physical being influences my entire outlook. My temper is shorter (even I have a temper). My patience is thinner. My grace is is reduced.
And my kindness is put to the test.
The question I have to ask myself is in those moments? "Is it worth it?"
Is the relationship worth the disruption? Is the "bad idea" something that truly has to be stopped right now or can it be discussed? Am I thinking (or being) unkind about things that people cannot change?
Maybe more d*mning, "If Christ was here, what would He say?"
In most of these situations, my kindness is needed. My words, maybe not so much.
In those moments, I have to remind myself that sometimes kindness is not necessarily saying or dong anything. Sometimes it is simply holding my tongue.
"What do I think I will realistically accomplish by opening my mouth?" is the question I often refer to when deciding whether or not to respond. Another good one is, "Better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."
ReplyDeleteEd, those are both good. The second I have used on myself often.
DeleteThe first...I never thought of it in those terms, but that is exactly the right thing to ask: "What will I accomplish by opening my mouth?" Or maybe even "Will it be anything good?"
It is probably not surprising to you that I keep my mouth shut a lot these days.
Aye TB, sometimes statements/opinions of others, especially neighbors result in the urge to "remedy/enlighten". Have taken to holding my tongue and guess what? Less strife......funny that, who knew?..........:)
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I do not remember it being quite the daily challenge that it seems to have become. The longer I live, the more I feel like a man out of time that has outlived the world he was part of.
DeleteSo many people are given to argument nowadays that it almost seems like a form of entertainment. I think it's a kindness to everyone around to not engage in potential disagreement or bickering. Mostly it's just about opinion anyway.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I have been thinking all week about how angry so many people seem to be all the time. It's rather depressing if I think about it too long. I do not think we emphasize keeping one's mouth shut as form of kindness, but we probably should. Not every thing is a hill to die on.
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