The Getting of Wisdom
Proverbs 10:19 A person who talks too much gets into trouble. A wise person learns to be quiet.
Different people can look at the same thing and see it completely differently. That’s the way it’s always been, and I’m pretty sure that’s the way it always will be. And sadly, those different perspectives all too often end in conflict.
I was in a meeting recently with a bunch of pretty clever, experienced people. There was a lot of wisdom sitting around the table. As it happened, I was chairing the meeting, which caused me to sit back and listen so that I could “direct the traffic” as it were. The chairman’s job, after all, is to ensure that everyone is heard but no one rambles on for too long.
The longer the meeting went on though, the more heated the discussion became. People were talking over the top of one another. They became hot under the collar and the whole thing threatened to descend into a complete shambles.
I later wondered how that could happen amongst a bunch of rather smart, experienced people. As wise old King Solomon once observed.
Proverbs 10:19 A person who talks too much gets into trouble. A wise person learns to be quiet.
To be honest – and I know this won’t surprise you, given what I do – I’m a natural talker, but not so natural a listener. Many’s the time over the years that talking too much has landed me in a whole world of trouble.
How about you? When was the last time your inability to shut-up caused you grief?
The beauty of keeping our mouths shut, of holding onto our counsel for a while, is that it gives us the opportunity to hear where others are coming from, to observe their demeanour, to weigh up the situation.
Perhaps the getting of wisdom has a lot to do with learning to shut up.
A wise person learns to be quiet.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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