As I heard a crash, I looked over and saw glass all over the floor. A mason jar was shattered all over the floor. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. Two of the children were asked to unload the dishwasher and one of them had accidentally dropped the jar. “I didn’t do it” was his immediate response “it was her” he said as he pointed a finger in his sisters direction. His immediate response was to make sure that I knew it wasn’t him because even though no one was going to get into trouble, he wanted to protect himself and not take the blame for the broken glass.

After all of the glass was cleaned up, we took a flashlight and used it to inspect the ground. Trying to see if there were any glass pieces we missed and if we did, they would reflect in the light. For the rest of the day we were cautious about where we stepped because we didn’t want to step on any glass we may have missed. But why do we do that? Why do we mentally use caution when we know there may be glass on the ground in front of us but yet when it comes to controlling our tongues and talking without listening, we don’t practice self control? Why was the initial response was “it wasn’t my fault” even though no one was blaming anyone for what happened? What if we instead were quick to listen instead of defending?

I tend to make my words ones that don’t honor The Lord. I can focus on complaining or arguing. I can be hurtful with them or quick to become angry. I can unintentionally use them to cause someone pain but when I know that I have caused pain, do I take the time to say “it’s not my fault that you’re hurt” or do I apologize for the words that I used? I pray that The Lord will use my life to be an example of Him even through my wrong doings and failures.

Often times in my life, I am quick to talk and not to listen. When I talk and don’t listen, I don’t learn and discern the truth by hearing myself talk. When I listen, I can process what others are saying and be thoughtful in my reply or even not reply at all. What if we viewed the way we talk to others as if there is always glass on the floor? When we know there is glass on the floor, we pause, look around and take the time to make sure there is nothing there before we proceed. But often times, we don’t do that. We talk without listening. We want to be heard no matter the cost and walk right over the glass. I want others to hear what I have to say instead of taking the time to listen to what they have to say. Constantly justifying why we said what we said instead of taking responsibility for the words that came out of our mouth. Proverbs 12:15 says “The way of the an ignorant fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” Listening makes a man wise. How do we become wise? We increase in our knowledge of The Lord and understanding of Him. How do we do that? We spend time in prayer and in His Word but it’s not something we can do on our own strength. It’s easy to get overwhelmed at the state of the world and get caught up in the chaos that surrounds us. When we do that, we are taking our eyes off of Him and put them on us, which in turn causes us to focus on ourselves on not Him. When we focus on us, we are often quick to speak and slow to listen instead. In order for Him to increase, I must decrease.