Shut Up!

Have you ever taken a sip of concentrated juice before the water has been added? Your taste buds explode because of the concentrate. These verses from James are like concentrate. Filled with wisdom to help you and me live a life that brings God and other people pleasure.

The passage begins and ends with a key theme. “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. . .” (v 19). How often have you experienced someone speaking too quickly and disrupting a conversation or even a relationship? What about anger? Do you fly off the handle too quickly?

If we just “hear” God’s word and “do” nothing with it, we are like someone who looks in a mirror, walks away, and forgets what they look like. We are like people who hear what is right over and over yet lack the desire to change their behaviour.

Pure “doing,” we are told, would be exemplified by visiting orphans and widows. The wisdom here is that putting ourselves with others less fortunate becomes a mirror in our lives. In my association with World Vision, I have seen firsthand the devastating effects of poverty. I have been deeply moved by a widowed mother who cries in appreciation when she meets her child’s sponsor. The eyes of a malnourished child just longing for life in all of its fullness but struggling to live another day. These images are so intense in my memory; they are like a mirror, allowing me to see who I am in their presence.

The images are sometimes too deep for expression. When I see their lives contrasting mine, I am slower to get angry.

Respond in Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to walk with you intimately, day by day. Forgive me for times when my pride and enthusiasm cause me to speak quickly. Soften me towards the suffering and underprivileged, not to patronize but to have them mirror back to me who I am and who you want me to be. For Jesus' sake, Amen.

Carson Pue