Monday, May 9, 2011

…a time to keep silent…

and a time to speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:7

I grapple daily with speaking up too much and staying silent. I wonder if my words spoken were scars, cuts, bandages, or balm. I continually remind myself to be quick to listen and slow to speak and then doubt myself when I hear His Voice telling me to share.

Does this happen to you?

We walk a tight rope of fears, doubts, wonderment, and dreams. We hold tightly to those things we know we shouldn’t do and those things that we ought to do. We lean toward the breeze of doubt on one side of the rope and into the abyss of boldness and faith on the other. We walk across holding tightly to the One who will never let us fall.

And within this act, we are reminded that there is no one answer. Sometimes, to stay balanced, we are to share, exhort, encourage…speak. Often times we ourselves are exhorted to pray, listen, comfort…keep silent. Both are necessary in order to stay on the rope.

There is a time for every purpose under heaven. We, ever purposeful creation, are given times to speak and times to remain silent.

Heavenly Father, thank you for hedging us before and behind. Thank you for protecting us and giving us words to say when we need them and the wisdom to remain quiet when You desire it. May we open our ears to hear Your Voice, to know Your will, to be a part of Your majestic plan here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.