The wise man penned these words of the Lord: "He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him." (Prov. 18:13) How easy is it for us to react and give a response or answer without hearing or understanding the complete situation? I know I have reacted at times, drawing a conclusion without finding out all the details and it embarrassed me!
They were a family of five with two boys and a girl. It was a Sunday morning and the Lord's Supper was being taken. There were two teen girls sitting behind them and sudden, giggling broke out with the girls. The mother was annoyed and turned over her right shoulder and gave that "knock it off" stare. The girls quieted down. It didn't last long and the giggling started but this time a little louder. The mother turned again, giving a hard look at the girls and shaking her head. They quieted down once again. Seconds passed and the giggling started up a third time and the mother was really annoyed wondering where the parents to these teen girls were. The mother turned over her right shoulder, reached back pointing her finger in the face of one of the girls. The girl looked at her and spoke in a soft, low voice, "It's the bullfrog!", pointing to the mothers left shoulder. The mother turned around looking to her left and there was her 5 year old son, holding a bullfrog, squeezing it watching the face and neck of the bullfrog puff up twice it size. The mother grabbed her son and out they went. After administering stern discipline, she came back in feeling badly how she had jumped on these teen girls while the real problem was caused by her own son. Immediately after services, she apologized to them for her quick corrections toward them.
Sometimes we need to make certain we hear the complete matter before jumping to a conclusion. That applies to our own familes as well as others. Things do not always seem as they appear and it is better to be patient and wise, rather than quick to determine a situation without hearing (or seeing) the whole matter. We might be shamed in front of others. If we aren't careful, we might hear the words, "It's the bullfrog!"
1 comment:
While this situation is sometimes realized with family members and others, it is seldom realized that it occurs all to frequently with the Word of God. Assumptions and conclusions are made and reactions take place about what is read or spoken from the Word without taking the time to seek out the facts and context. People read or hear something that touches them and then they want to hurry up and say something about it even before the passage is finished, myself included at times.
How hard is it to listen and talk at the same time, especially about God's Word?
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