Step Three: Before you speak, THINK.
In our home, we adopted this saying:
“Before you speak, THINK.”
T – Is it True?
H – Is it Helpful?
I – Is it Inspiring?
N – Is it Necessary?
K – Is it Kind?
I know there are times when corrective words are needed. We all need to stand up for justice. (That’s part of the “N” up there.) But what’s in short supply these days? Is THINKING.
Let’s take an extra 10 seconds to really consider what we’re going to say, instead of dropping verbal grenades on each other.
Too often, we start to formulate a response, before the other person has finished speaking. Words spill from us that we can’t take back.
Let’s choose wisely. Before we speak, let’s THINK.
Step Four: Use the Micah Filter
Recently, on a Sunday, Scott and I sat shoulder-to-shoulder in church, reading out of the same Bible. We recited Micah 6:8.
“And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
The verses spoke to us deeply on so many levels, with regard to how we respond to a lot of people, including:
– Refugees, as well as any Americans concerned about our border
– Friends in our Facebook feeds who agree with us, and friends who absolutely don’t.
What does the Lord require of us in times like these? The lesson from Micah offers us all a really great place to start. Let’s run all that we say through that three-layered filter: Act Justly. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly.
Let The Hard Work Begin
This is going to take work, isn’t it? As a Christian woman, I believe this kind of work is a mandate for the body of Christ. We are one body, regardless of political party, religious affiliation, whether we marched or didn’t march.
Over the years, in the church alone, we’ve divided ourselves along so many lines that we don’t even worship under the same steeples anymore.
Grape juice or wine?
Chris Tomlin or Charles Wesley?
Sprinkle or dunk?
Tongues or “that’s just weird.”
KJV or NIV. (Or, gasp! “The Message”!)
Disagreement is nothing in the church.
We are faced with division with each new era, each social issue that moves to the front of the line, each new pressing crisis.
We are one body of Christ, but we have rarely been one unified voice. How, then, can we live peaceably together?
Scott and I have had years to practice, and in some ways, it never gets easier. But we keep coming back to this: Practice kindness.
You might say: In times like these, practicing kindness is not easy. Well, this is our chance to show the world that it’s possible to do the thing that isn’t easy.
This is our chance, as the people of God, to show what it looks like to be civil in tone, humble in posture, and gracious in attitude.
I’m not saying we have to be so “open-minded” that our brains fall out. Goodness, each of us can stand for whatever we stand for, and do what we believe is right!
But, please, be kind.
Our words always fold into the souls of other human beings. That’s no small thing.
Be kind to the person who marches differently from you.
Be kind to the person who posts about puppies instead of politics.
Be kind to the person on the other side of the political aisle.
Be kind to the person on the other side of the street.
Be kind to the person who chooses to be silent.
Be kind to the person who raises her voice daily.
Be kind to your friends, and as hard as it is, be kind to your enemies.
When we exit earth for heaven, Scott and I might not have a lot of money or pretty things to leave the people we love. But we can always be rich in the words we left behind. We can leave an inheritance of kindness.
It is easy to hate. It takes strength to be kind.
And you, my friend, have the opportunity to show the world where your strength comes from.
Let’s do this.
This article originally appeared at JenniferDukesLee.com.
