I’m re-reading a great book by David Nasser titled Glory Revealed.  In it is this statement from him: “Never miss an opportunity to shut up.”
I posted this on Facebook and asked for comments.  Here are a few of them. . .
“Always heard that God gave us one mouth and TWO ears for a reason.”
“Our willingness to to truly listen demonstrates love.  Often a person will arrive at a solution just by talking it through.”
“WOW! Wish I had read this yesterday.”
(I’m guessing, but I think the above person was maybe thinking what is said in this next comment I received.)
“This is an area that the Lord has REALLY been working in me this past year. As the family ‘peace maker’, it felt natural to me. But I’m discovering the freedom of ‘butting out’ and allowing the Lord to work in others.”
What Mr. Nasser was saying is that we want so badly to rush in and trouble shoot and fix others problems, that we end up hurting them more than helping . . . armchair quarterbacks. We need to step aside and let the Holy Spirit do His work and let Him guide our mouths. I think stepping in with words is really easy for us women because I’m guessing a lot of us are people pleasers and we want everyone to be happy. But I’ve seen men do this too. If we don’t know the whole situation and it is not something we had committed to prayer, then we need to use those two God given ears more than the one mouth. Mr Nasser says, in these kind of moments, we need to ‘righteously shut up.’
So when do you know when to speak up and when to shut up?
First of all, did they ask? Second, pray and listen for the leading of the Holy Spirit. There may be some awkward moments, but I’ve learned that in those moments, the person is thinking and they can hear Him best and process in those non-chattering moments and we should also be listening. Let Him do His work and you be there with caring arms and ears.
Sometimes, we can love best when we shut up.
(And as a people pleaser, I say this in the most loving way!)
—!submitted by Kristin Bridgman, US