My best new communication move has been the “shut up” technique.
Colossal failures in communication always occur when I fail to consult God. My latest blunder happened when I tried to coerce a person into understanding I was trying to help them. I forced my heart’s intent and motives onto someone who was on a different location than me on the spiritual path. Needless to say, it did not go well.
The Maker of the universe, the One who created the person I failed miserably at communicating with, had some excellent pointers on how that person operated. When I finally sought God’s counsel, He instructed me to shut my mouth, be still, and know He was God. When I let Him be the Lord over both me and the other person—things shifted.
God worked things out of and into our hearts. His gentle pruning needed time to take place and manifest. Once complete, He created a pathway of easy, gentle communication I never could have established on my own. The key was to be silent and wait for His work to be complete—not an easy feat.
By concentrating on being heard so I could get the answers I needed to make decisions for the upcoming mission trip, I missed Paul’s instruction. Never once did I consider that all communication should be a vehicle to distribute blessings.
Hasty words can rocket at people without regard for their hearts. God can help us re-frame our words so they bless all who hear us speak—and not just in times of prayer and love-filled conversations with people we care about but with all people God puts on our path.
Ask God to let the Holy Spirit speak through you without any hindrance and to let your mouth be firmly shut if it serves His purposes.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Heather Roberts is the mother of four and a wife to an amazing husband. You can find her at www.heathernroberts.com, where she writes about the encouraging insights the Lord has graciously given her, on Instagram at heather.n.roberts, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/heather.roberts.90281943. She loves to read and garden and is always scoping out other people’s landscapes. Chocolate is her arch-nemesis, and she cherishes time spent in the pursuit of God’s voice.