Time for Slow

James 1:19 NIV  
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. 

Have you ever known someone who seemed to spend more time constructing a response then really listening to what you were saying? They are only interested in what they have to say or at least that is how you feel when you leave them.

Perhaps you are that way. I know I used to be guilty of that. While they were talking my mind was spinning through my response to what they were saying. I never really heard all they had to say.

And the angry part. It is so easy to be quick to listen and then be quick to be angry at what we heard. You see we hear based on our experiences in life. What they say might mean something entirely different from how we hear it. Becoming angry solves nothing.

Even worse today is the fact that most of our conversations are in code. What do I mean by that? We send and receives messages in text with abbreviated phrases like LOL, PTL, IJN, LMBO and the list goes on and on.

And responses are short and often not sweet. We can take offense and never even hear their voice or see their face! Not good.

"Lord help me to take the time to really listen. Help me to make my text and email messages clear so nobody gets the wrong interpretation of what I say. Help me to think before I respond and above all to not let any words or emails or text messages get me angry. Let all that I do and say be in love. In Jesus name, I pray."