You ever feel like you're not being understood?

The Washington Post asked its readers to supply alternate meanings for common words. Some of the winners:

-Coffee - The person upon whom one coughs.

-Flabbergasted - Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.

-Gargoyle - Olive-flavored mouthwash

-Balderdash - A rapidly receding hairline

-Oyster - A person who sprinkles conversation with yiddishisms.

-Abdicate - To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

Sometimes our words get twisted around and the person hearing or reading them comes away with a completely different idea than what we intended. People have a way of finding a whole new meaning to something we've said that we could never come up with.

I have to admit that I'm guilty of doing that to others as well. They say one thing, but I'm so sure they meant something else I interpret it the way I assume it should be interpreted. Miscommunication seems to be the root of so many arguments, problems, and issues that I've had to deal with in my life. And all too often, the communication failure occurs on my end.

James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. If we could only do that in every situation, think of how many problems with others we could avoid? I'm not always quick to listen, that's for sure. I'm quick to jump in (my husband hates how often I interrupt him) and I'm even quicker to assume what someone else meant instead of finding out what they actually meant.

Slow to speak.well, I've already admitted to interrupting so much that there's no way that could be true of me! How often do I actually stop and think before I speak? The words fly out of my mouth so quickly and I often regret them once they're out. Jesus said in Matthew that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Not only do I need to be careful when speaking I need check my heart. It won't come out if it's not already in me!

And slow to anger.wow, that's an emotion that flares up pretty quickly. When I get angry, I usually justify feeling it and let my words and actions show that anger. But anger has no room in a Christian's heart. Again in Matthew Jesus says on the Sermon on the Mount that it had been said not to murder or you would face judgment, but He says if you're angry with your brother you're subject to judgment. I like to think that anger isn't really a big sin because it's an emotion I can't control. But Jesus says so clearly that we cannot be angry with one another. And how often am I angry at someone because I've misunderstood what they've said? Because I've not been quick to listen and slow to speak?

It's such a simple phrase that James give us, but it's so profound and it's really the only way to communicate with others. If in every difficult interaction, I would choose to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, how different my relationships with others would be!

And maybe then coffee could just be coffee.

Emily

Labels: Emily