Everybody's Talkin'
I’ve got plenty of advice. Thank you. Funny, the thing we are most anxious to give is often what others are most loath to receive. And it’s a two-way street.
It’s hard for anyone to receive admonition. What is true of others is true of me. You know how it is when that guy (or gal) who knows everything is always accusing you of being so proud that you won’t accept constructive criticism. I’d like to hand them a mirror…or hit them with one. There may be many reasons we find it hard to accept input.
We can be in sensory overload. Pretty hard to process all the well-meaning observations thrown our way when we are barely keeping our heads above water. We’d all like to be approachable, but there’s a time to leave the pressure cooker alone, or you’ll just make a mess. Those most ready to reveal our foibles pretty much tell us things we already know. I shouldn’t have done what I did? Really? Got it. Give me a little credit. I can tell when I’m on fire.
It’s easier to accept advice if you’ve made the first move. Years ago, I heard a preacher say, “Unsolicited advice is seldom heeded and often resented.” Bingo. When we open the door of access, we don’t perceive others as being intrusive even if they make stinging observations.
A word of caution, when you are the giver of advice, remember that great responsibility goes along with given trust. I have always appreciated people who were gentle with me whether I deserved it or not.
It’s been easier for me to hear what people are saying if I believe they have my best interests at heart. At times, it has been difficult for me to deliver news I knew would hurt. Considering this, perhaps others feel the same way.
Our words cannot fall to the ground. We should be careful what we say and be silent if our spirit is not beneficent.
When everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’. I can’t afford to. It hurts too much. Self-preservation compels me to tune them out.
Doubtless, some missives don’t deserve a hearing, but we will lose the good with the bad if we deafen ourselves to the wisdom and experience of others. We were meant to live in community, and we can’t do that if we don’t interact. It should be our desire to learn to listen humbly and be so careful in what we say that we not crush the bruised reed.
Jesus told us to watch our mouths. It is easy to sin through careless speech. Brother James echoed His concern. Solomon said the power of life and death is in the tongue.
If we had not been hurt so often by what others say, we’d be more likely learners. At the same time, Scripture tells us to be quick to hear, so we must pay attention.
Good relations are hard to maintain, and appropriate interventions are difficult, but there is too much to lose to fail in either.
Sterl