Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Anger”
Our Bible verse for today: “The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding. Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips.” Proverbs 17:27-28 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Constant interrupting fuels angry conversations.”
I’ll confess that I don’t like to be interrupted. In conversations I try to make it a point to let the other person speak first, and I try to really listen to what they’re saying without interrupting them. But then when it’s my turn to talk I expect them to give me the same courtesy and to really listen – and to keep listening until I’m done speaking. Interrupting someone is rude. It means you’re more interested in what you have to say than in what they have to say.
I don’t usually get angry when someone keeps interrupting, but I do get annoyed, (and that is a subtle form of anger). Usually I’ll handle it by just allowing the person to have the floor once again and to do all the talking until they run out of steam. Then I’ll try again.
But if they keep interrupting me then I’ll usually try to deal with their constant interruptions in a positive way. I do that by gently pointing out to them that I have patiently listened to everything they had to say and I did it without interrupting them. Now I would like to have them give me the same courtesy.
I’d like to tell you that strategy works well, but in my own experience I’ve found that people who are habitual interrupters usually get annoyed when they’re asked to stop interrupting and to just listen. But if nothing else, I end up feeling better for having said something. Lol.
Listening first (and completely), is important. This is especially true in heated situations when anger is beginning to show itself. This is when each person has to be disciplined enough to let the other person talk. Constantly interrupting each other makes things worse not better. Talking is therapeutic and helps to let off steam and dissipate the building anger. Also, you cannot understand the other person’s position if you won’t listen to what they’re saying. For that to happen you have to let them talk and you have to listen.
Like Solomon said, a wise and intelligent person is able to restrain their words and keep a cool head. Even a fool is considered wise if they can manage to keep their mouth shut. It’s the unwise and foolish person who is unrestrained with their words.
It’s been said that since we have only one mouth and but two ears, we should listen twice as much as we speak. There’s a lot of truth and wisdom in that. We would all be a lot better off, and find ourselves in fewer heated arguments, if we would listen more and talk less.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 