Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
If you have ever lost your temper before, know that I have too- and it was because I didn't slow down quick enough to really take inventory.
Today's Verse of the Day is very practical. I love how practical the Bible is, and James does a good job of spelling some things out for us to help us when we're in situations with people that may get a little heated. It comes from James chapter 1, verse 19. "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."
James Gets into Our Business
James is getting up in our business. A lot of times I think we wish he switched the order, because it seems a little bit more natural to be quick to get angry, quick to speak, and slow to listen. We hear what we need to hear to know how we're supposed to react. We get angry because we think they deserved it. How dare you speak to me that way?
Let's back up a little bit.
Understanding Others
James is trying to show us what it looks like to interact with people. We're in a world full of personalities, full of life experiences. Everybody has a life that's built the way that they see the world. Their experiences feed into the interactions that we have.
Some people are more direct, other people are more soft-spoken. It's all because of the environments and the families and the people that fed into their development.
James is speaking specifically to a situation where someone could come up to you and start just talking at you. The first step, he says to us, is, "Be quick to listen."
Be Quick to Listen
Our tendency could be to answer based on what we hear right off the bat. But what if we took the time to listen to their story? A great way to understand someone as you're listening is to ask them questions, to show them that you're engaged.
Jesus does this when He's telling stories and He's having conversations. He asks the people questions—sometimes to get them to think, other times to get answers.
When you're listening to someone, be quick to listen. Be quick to slow down and hear what they have to say. Then follow it up with some questions to understand them.
Be Slow to Speak
The second piece he gives us is, "Be slow to speak." I think I said this a little bit earlier. We all want to be the answer. We want to speak. We want our voices to be heard.
Sometimes when people give you their problems, it's easy to have a quick response right off the bat. But if you're quick to listen—meaning you slow down, you take the time—and you're slow to speak, you actually have made space for the person to feel safe enough to give you what is needed for the conversation to be fruitful. You're showing them what it means to be like Jesus.
The Jesus Example
Imagine this: you're praying, and Jesus very quickly cuts you off in the middle of your prayer and gives you the answer before you have a chance to finish your thought. How would that make you feel?
I'm grateful that Jesus doesn't interrupt. He doesn't cut me off and tell me the answer I need before I have a chance to get what's in my heart out, because it matters to Him to hear what's inside.
When you show someone what it means to slow down—be quick to listen, slow to speak—you're showing them what it means to talk to Jesus.
Be Slow to Get Angry
Finally, "Be slow to get angry." When you've done the first two things well, you have more to work with. You're not just flying off the handle because someone said something that rubbed you the wrong way. You're listening to understand.
Maybe instead of anger, the response is compassion.
Anger Is Not Always Wrong
I want to make a point here. We're not saying that anger is bad. The Bible says to not sin in our anger. When we get stirred up, how are we going to respond? How are we going to act?
Anger could lead us to good things like justice and standing up for people who are mistreated. But in this case, James is saying, if you don't take time to listen and understand the person standing right in front of you, you could get angry pretty quickly. That wouldn't represent Jesus well.
Practical Application
When you're facing situations where it would be easier to get angry than to slow down, take a deep breath. It might be with a person that kind of irritates you. If that person comes up to you and you know your tendency would be to lean into being irritated and frustrated, be slow to speak, quick to listen, and understand what they're trying to bring to you.
Ask the Lord for grace. He'll give it to you. Ultimately, you'll represent Him by not being angry because they're irritating to you. You're showing them Jesus. You're showing them love, and you're listening to them in their time of need.
