Farsightedness

I think that one of the most important lessons that I learned through some 35 plus years of active church ministry and leadership, was the importance of my words… what I said, when I said it and how I said it.  I cringe at times today, when I think of some of the dumb and thoughtless things that I said during my early years as a young Youth Minister at the first church we served in. 

Biblically speaking… I really didn’t know much of anything!  I did have some natural education and training from college classes as a Recreation Administration major during my time at Chico State, but I was still a rather young pup when it came to my understanding of the truths of God’s Word. I am thankful for the assistance and patience of my mature Christian wife and for my innate hunger to learn new things that enabled me to read books, research curriculums and attend training classes for most anything that had to do with Youth Ministry!

What took more time and experience… and learning from my mistakes though, was my ability to think before I spoke and not let just any silly remark escape my lips when in one-on-one conversation with another individual.

One of my long-time favorite and well-used scriptures… the first verse I ever memorized during those early years while attending our first Junior High Snow camp… is found in 2 Timothy 1:7 where the Apostle Paul gave vital advice to his young protégé saying:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (KJV) 

This scripture also has a special place in my heart, as the Pastor of our church once confided in me and shared that I reminded him of young Timothy in the Bible… a complement that I have never forgotten and tried to live up to throughout the years since then.

I felt led to take another look at this verse during my personal Bible Study time yesterday and did a deep dive into the final phrase, in order to get a better understanding of Paul’s thoughts behind God giving us “a sound mind.”  It is explained in the original language as having “moderation, self-discipline and prudence” (Thayer’s and Mounce)  The Oxford Online Dictionary defines “prudence” as “wisdom, judiciousness, common sense, discretion, far-sightedness and good management.”

The idea of “far-sightedness” clicked within me, so I further checked with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and discovered that it means to have “the ability to anticipate and plan for the future.”  Well… that gave me an almost instant “A Ha!” moment, causing me to lean back in my squeaky desk chair* and think aloud, “In other words… to stop and consider the effect of what your current comments (or words) could have, down the line, in the future.”

Let me give you a personal example.  When Piper got sick and her diagnosis was made clear, there were things said and done by a few individuals that really surprised, hurt, upset and frustrated me.  And to be honest, as my whole world seemed to be collapsing around me with the starkness of the medical analysis of my wife’s life-threatening condition… there were a few choice things that I wanted to say to these folks!

But like I stated previously, there were lessons that I had learned concerning the need for me to take responsibility for my words… and those experiences helped me to keep my mouth shut… when it came to my personal thoughts on what was said.  I understood that people were hurting and that we all handle needy situations in different ways and whether these folks would later remember what was said and done or not… I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire and destroy future relationships.  I also acted in order to honor my wife… and it didn’t hurt that my older son had wisely told me that “Someone has to be the adult in the situation!”

It has taken a lot of practice over the years… with lots of trial and error, but it has become much easier these days for me to stop and think for a moment about what would be the right thing to say… before I speak… that would best fit and bless the current conversation and assure for the best future outcome.  Piper was unique in her family in that she had the knack to seemingly always say the right thing… even… and maybe especially… in the midst of heated or tense situations.  It was something that I always admired in her.

2 Corinthians 5:15 tells us “For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and motivates us…” (TPT) and I’ve come to see and then learn personally, that Christ’s LOVE is precisely the power that motivated Piper with just about everything she believed, said and did.

So, what do you think about all that?  Have you ever considered the responsibility that each one of us has over the comments and/or words that we speak to others?  I’ve come to see it as a must in my life… and I think that the Apostle Paul would also agree with me.

Have a great week, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life and then share that best through your words to others!

 

*See: our last blog post entitled “Screeching Words”, http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2022/04/screeching-words.html