My Least Favorite Passage in the Bible
I would say that my least favorite verse in the Bible is in the book of James.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (Jam 1:19).
Slow to speak! Speaking is my love language! But it’s also my hate language. I’ve said hurtful things more than a few times to not only those in the service industry, but the people I love dearly. The tongue can get me in a lot of trouble.
(Thanks to our graphics team for putting that photo together. I’m not quite sure how they got tape over my mouth.)
But, I’m also pretty good with words. My favorite story is when I got a ticket for an unsafe lane change when I was 33. The problem, for the officer, was that I never actually changed lanes. I saw him in my blind spot before I entered his lane and moved back. But that didn’t stop him from giving me a ticket. I was declared guilty. Of course, he lied and said that I entered his lane and almost drove them off the road. So I appealed.
At the appeal, I got my own desk in front of the judge, just like on Law and Order. I questioned the officer: “Officer, how many tickets did you give out that day?”
“Objection,” cried the prosecuting attorney. “How is this relevant?” He clearly did not understand my lawyering skills (I’m being silly for those who might think I’m being haughty).
“Well, I’m glad you asked that,” I responded. “You see, on that day, I only received one ticket, but I’m guessing that this officer gave out around 20 tickets. It simply means that my recollection of that one incident is going to be better than his since his mind is clouded by giving out so many tickets.”
When the judge declared, “Objection overruled,” my spirit soared! Long story short, I was declared not guilty. I walked out of the courtroom, jumped in the air, and yelled. There were about 50 people in the waiting area looking at me.
All that is to say that, I’m pretty good with words. I’m not so good with not using words. James tells me it’s better to listen than to speak. That’s hard for me. Really hard. Even when the other person is speaking, I’m often crafting my response. Sometimes, it is obvious to the speaker, as I’m looking for a break, a comma, a breath—so I can jump in.
Even a fool is thought to be wise…
My best friend, Ward Simpson, is good at listening. “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues,” he reminds me. Don’t get me wrong; Ward is no fool. But he knows how to listen. When I’m going through something, I’ll call him up from Israel. I’m riding my bike in the late afternoon and he’s taking his morning walk. I’ll go on for about 30 minutes and somehow solve my own problem. Ward responds, “Where should I send the bill?” And I say, “Man, you’re worth every penny!”
When we first met, it was because our wives became friends in Pensacola. They hoped that the two husbands would get along. The first time we went on a double date, I could not believe how quiet he was. So I just kept talking. When I got home, Elana asked me if I liked Ward. I said, “He’s too quiet. I had to carry the conversation the whole night.
Ward’s wife, Lydia, asked him what he thought of me, “That man don’t shut up!” Somehow, we became best friends.
Silence in Prayer
But this also applies to prayer. If God says that we are to be slow to speak and to listen with each other, it probably also applies to when we’re talking to him. Sometimes I imagine that the angels are listening to me pray, hearing, “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…”
Let me share with you something that I’m starting to practice. I’ve had this demonic lie going through my mind. I wake up in the morning, thinking, “I know I need to pray, but while I’m waking up, I’ll check my email and social media.” It made sense, but I knew it was robbing God of those first moments of my day. So, I decided that instead of using social media for the first half hour while waking up, I would simply sit alone and think quietly. It’s been a blessing. It’s like having coffee with Jesus. I don’t feel pressured to pray or to quote scripture—I just sit there and drink coffee and think about God, my day, what is important to my life, etc.
Whenever I talk about being silent before the Lord, there’s always someone out there who feels that being silent before the Lord is Eastern mysticism. That is beyond silly and typically something they heard from someone warning them against spiritual formation. Imagine you were walking into a courtroom, knowing that you could be judged. The judge begins to speak. Are you going to start interrupting him? Of course not. If you can be silent before an earthly judge, how about the Judge of all the Earth? Do you think maybe he has something to say to you?
And remember the words of my least favorite passage in the Bible: “Be quick to listen and slow to speak.” If God expects us to employ that rule with other humans, how much more with he who has the words of life?
