I have often wondered why some people feel compelled to say everything that comes into their mind. Why is that? Then why is it that some people seemingly say very little compared to what they could say? Why does it seem like some people cannot keep silent while others are careful to speak as little as possible? And why is it that some people never stop talking about what’s wrong with others while others are hesitant to share their opinion about what is wrong with anyone but themselves? Why is it that many people tend to respond to everything that they hear but they miss most of what is being said?
The answer is discretion. But what is discretion? Scripture tells us in Proverbs 19:11, “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.” Discretion is the ability of a person to pause for a moment to consider the implications of saying something before saying anything at all. It is the ability to keep yourself from saying everything that comes to your mind. It is the ability to keep yourself from telling yourself that others need to hear everything that you have to say.
The devil makes many people believe speaking your mind is a strength and a strong character trait; however, speaking your mind without discretion is a powerful weakness we all must learn to deal with. When you speak your mind on all things, people will tune you out on most things. If you want to be heard, learn to speak less, and speak to fewer people. If you want others to hear you learn, to wait for others to ask for your views.
Scripture tells us in James 1:19 that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. This scripture is trying to tell us that people who listen will be smarter than those who have to say something about everything. People who are slow to speak will be heard more than people who cannot keep silent except for rare occasions when they are asleep. And people who are slow to anger will be praised for their discipline while those who talk all the time will be seen as angry people who create more anger with anger. So why can’t many of us hear this message? Well, its because we do not learn to live by discretion.
Discretion makes you care more about how others will feel about what you have to say. Discretion makes you ask yourself why you cannot keep silent on some things to allow some things to be spoken in ways other than through you. Discretion makes you understand and consider for a moment if what you have to say is necessary to be said at all. Discretion makes you understand that some things that come to your mind are meant for your understanding and for your development more than for you to express to others.
If you want to keep speaking and not being heard, keep speaking all that comes to your mind without discretion. If you want lots of people to hear what you say but value little of what you say, keep speaking without discretion. If you want to be seen as an angry mouth more than anything, keep speaking without discretion. There are lots of people who are glad to be this way.
I am hopeful this message will be a message of discretion for you, and by it you will learn how to allow discretion to live in you. Discretion will teach you that you have options in life to control what you say to yourself and to others. It will tell you that you have options to overlook things that happen to you and with you and around you. It will tell you that you can look for the calm in the storm of anything if you are willing. Discretion has made many to be wise who otherwise would have shown how foolish a smart person can be when they cannot be silent. When you learn to live with discretion as the guide to your heart, others will see you and they will glorify how you humbly overlook many things and control your responses to much so that the seeds of life can have a chance to break through in the dark of transgressions. Live a Delivered Life. Love you.
Live Delivered 