There are a few people in my life who have the uncanny ability to set me off. Some of them are (thankfully) only occasionally part of my days. But in truth, some of the people who have the greatest propensity to get my goat are the people I love the most.
It took (at least) 40 years but it did finally occur to me that there really is wisdom in holding your tongue. The wisdom, though, isn’t necessarily in what you don’t say as much as what you do in the quiet. Check out this insight from Psalm 62:5-6.
“For God alone, o my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”
We all have people in our lives who have the ability to shake us up. And when it happens, we tend to spew sass that we wish we could take back. So often, this kind of anger is rooted in some sort of hurt: a strike to our pride; a blow that may or may not hit close to some truth.
Part of the problem is we mistakenly look to human beings for reassurance of our value – our contributions at home, in the office, as mothers and wives; husbands and sons. In doing this, we set ourselves up for hurt when the inevitable happens. When a teenager spouts hatred or a colleague lays blame, it strikes our prideful hearts. After all, we are doing our best right? And the thanks we get is an attack?
Why bother if they aren’t even going to appreciate us?
“for my hope is in Him.”
God alone is our rock. He alone has eyes to see the true intentions of our hearts. And He does see. God knows you’re working hard at being your best. And, He knows if maybe, just maybe, you need a little extra practice being patient. He even knows if you need to develop your habit of looking to Him for all your needs and affirmations.
God knows. So rest in that. Let Him be your fortress when the inevitable attacks come.
“Wait in silence.”
There is SO MUCH wisdom in these three small words.
Imagine the scene. Your wife is tired and ranting about the garbage again. You got a scathing email from an angry customer. Your daughter is having a fit because you said no to a date.
“Wait in silence.”
James tells us that anger does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20). So wait in silence.
I believe when we practice this mental and verbal constraint; when we bridle our tongues and guard our thoughts and wait in silence, we are casting evil out and running to God. We look to God for our protection and strength and in that brief moment we choose righteousness. We find our fortress. We are not shaken. God wins.