We have all met the one person who talks all day, all the time about THEMSELVES. Everything evolves around them. They point out how everything went wrong, how they are so miserable and their life is a mess. They keep talking and wait for you to ask the “follow-up question” that will allow them to continue to chat about themselves. We’ve met the people who brag about themselves and how they are the best in this world.
We’ve met the mothers who brag about their children, and how their son can read an encyclopedia. Their daughter is so pretty she’s on her 5th boyfriend. Last night they went to Joey’s baseball game and he is the reason the team won.
Most of us have worked with the KNOW IT ALL. The person who is so confident in themselves that they quickly interrupt the meeting to let everyone know they KNOW THE ANSWER!!!!
Do you follow?! Most if not all of these types of individuals have something in common. They all like to talk. They all crave attention and most likely have many insecurities. They do not know how to shut their mouth and probably don’t know what a boundary line is.
You can locate them in your family. At work. At Church. At the playground. The neighborhood. Honestly right at the grocery store.
I want to say that I do not mind finding a spot and just sitting- people-watching. Now this is if I have the time. To sit and watch, observe people, and families. The average person cares about themselves. What is in it for ME? ME ME ME……we are all SELFISH in one way or another. We are all born selfish. It is the flesh, the sin that breeds in us. We can definitely improve. We can get better in this area if we want to.
A couple of years ago we were at a function and we were introduced to an individual by the hostess. My husband and I were at this event and it was our first year attending. We were the new kids in town. So when we exchanged names, this woman started to yap about how many children she had and how they live in a wonderful, wealthy area of this county. She continued to tell her life story of how she quit her career to coach all of her children’s sports teams. Of course, she had to add that each child happened to be “Captains” of the team because they played each respective sport since birth. I stood there nodding and just listening. I was amazed at how she just kept talking and talking. I began to lose interest and was waiting to see if she would shut up!!!! I turned around and hubby already escaped( he is pretty smart). She also added some details about her husband and what he did as a career. In 9 minutes, I can say I had enough basic information to complete a background check on this lady and confirm if it was all true. Not that I would but not once did she ask anything about me. Now, I am a private person. I will not share much with a stranger but common, simple questions to build a conversation are completely fine. I have comfortable boundaries and I strongly believe it is very healthy. Within 3 minutes of our conversation, I knew what I was dealing with. I knew she was someone who was not genuinely happy to get to know me or my family. She walked away after she was finished sharing her life. Not once did she ask anything about why we decided to attend this function(a common factor was our children). This was a “believer, a Christian, a follower of Jesus”. This behavior can be in the church body, but it is also happening outside the church. We are responsible for ourselves. We are responsible for our tongues.
I have learned through scripture that the tongue can lift or tear down. These days technology can replace us using verbal communication. However, written or verbal it is still very much powerful to build up or destroy.
Can we search the scriptures for what it says about how we talk, what we say, and how it is connected with our hearts too?…. Please read your Bible daily.
“Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the LORD is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed”. 1 Samuel 2:3, NKJV
“My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit”. Job 27:4, NKJV
“For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue“. Psalm 5:9, NKJV
I have learned in my personal life, that I need to always think before I speak. Our thoughts are constantly going and going especially as mothers. We have a lot to say and we have a lot we have learned to NOT say. Something we need to speak up and sometimes we need to be quiet. The Bible says “let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence”. 1 Timothy 2:11-12, NKJV. The Bible also says that we as women should, “he older women likewise, that they are reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed”. Titus 2:3-5, NKJV. The Book of Titus in the New Testament illustrates what God calls us as wives, mothers, and women to be like. The scripture is clear. Discreet can easily be taken out of context but it is simple here. Not to be mute, but be modest, do not gossip or be apart of the gossip circle, respect your husband, and learn to close your mouth instead of making your opinion heard in all things. Sometimes it is best to be quiet.
If this is you. If this is someone you know. Let’s pray that this week we will grow in a better direction to learn to be quiet, respectful, and run from slander and gossip. Lets pray that the person you have in mind will get better and more selfless. Be attractive in your speech. Ask how someone else is doing. Ask how your hubby is doing and center the conversation around someone else.
Thank you for reading! All glory to the Lord.
CATCH UP ON SOME READING:
- They do not like me.
- How to raise a young lady in this ungodly culture:
- Race, our children, and the heart.
- Honestly, most people do not want to hear it. Maybe that’s how it should be….
- How to get rich or die trying…
