Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak

James 1:19

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

Why?

Because when we truly listen to others, we begin to hear their challenges, their hurts, their gratitude, and their victories. They may have something important to teach us if we're willing to slow down and listen.

Being slow to speak shows respect for another person's feelings and gives us time to think before we respond. When we choose to respond instead of react, we make wiser decisions.

And getting angry rarely makes a situation better. More often, it creates tension where healing could have happened instead.

Our words and actions have the power to heal or to hurt. Let's choose to be healers in a world filled with pain.

And always remember...

Do our words, our thoughts, and our actions reflect our faith in Jesus? Or do they reveal that we're still living in darkness?

— Pastor Richard