Recently, I’ve noticed an increasing desire to distance myself from social and news media. I long for “objective” news reporting, if such a thing ever existed. At least I once had the impression such a thing existed … back when I paid for a daily newspaper or weekly magazine to be delivered and spent each morning with a cup of coffee, turning pages as I read. It might have been the act of turning pages that gave me the feeling I was in control. Maybe I was more naive. We seem to be more and more inundated by people who want to share their opinions, whether or not they have the knowledge, education, experience, or information to do so. How do we know what to believe? How do we know when to be silent and when to speak? What do we do when the truth is complicated or the many “sides” both have some degree of truth?
I’ve been re-reading the Letter of James this week, a little gem of practical advice written over 2,000 years ago that speaks directly to us today. When it comes to quick speech, James advises:
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19).
We live in a world where words fly faster than thought … but even without the internet, so, it seems, did James. One quick post or text, or hasty word, can ignite a firestorm. James’s wisdom sounds almost countercultural: slow down, listen first, speak later.
It’s not silence for silence’s sake—it’s love and grace in practice. Listening communicates value. Speaking less leaves more room for understanding. In God’s economy, wisdom often sounds like patience.
If James were around today, he might add: “Be slow to post, slow to forward that email, and definitely slow to hit reply all.”
It’s not that talking is bad—it’s that often listening is better. Listening can build bridges of understanding even if, in the end, we don’t agree. Listening accepts the humanity of the other and affirms that they are seen and valued. James doesn’t say we should never speak; he just says that we should first carefully consider what to say and when to speak.
I am reminded of the second verse of a traditional hymn:
Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
and while the wave-notes fall on my ear,
ev’rything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
ready, my God, Thy will to see;
open my ears, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Prayer: Lord, give me ears that listen more than lips that rush to speak. Teach me to use silence and speech as tools of love. Amen.
