When you operate according to the scripture that tells us to be "Quick To Listen, Slow To Speak, and Slow To Wrath" you can accomplish so much more than you could otherwise.
I am a slow processor. My mind views different angles and perceptions at the same time all while carrying with it a jumble of emotional responses. It is easy to allow the first or even second emotional response to grab the reins of my outward reactions. Oftentimes though, I find myself experiencing a new set of emotions that are, let's just say less than positive. I can't even tell you the innumerable amount of times I have set out to respond to something in writing and by the time the finished product goes out it looks so completely opposite of what I began with. I take into consideration the response and attention span of the person on the other end. Is what I'm saying going to be effective? What is the underlying message and point I am trying to make and how can I get straight to it and still explain why and how I got there? I get buried in details. I want the reader to understand and see my heart within my words. That's easier said than done given you can't SEE my facial expressions which is a huge indicator of my heart response. Writing can be so emotion-LESS and easily misconstrued. How many times has someone become offended at an email or text because the interpretation was left to their mind and not accompanied by the seeing of the persons face. Relying heavily on only one of your senses leaves too much room for misunderstandings, offenses, and incorrect interpretations.
Side Note: Hmmm...I wonder if this is what the apostles experienced when writing letters to the various churches. How careful they were in stating their case and explaining the reasoning behind it while also addressing the possible inaccurate responses that could be had. Maybe it's the writer in me that has caught that minor detail...Lol!
I must say though...I feel quite a sense of accomplishment when I have watched my original thoughts transform into my finished work. It's a journey for sure. I never just write and that's it...I write, read, re-write, and re-read how ever many times it takes to feel like something is worthy enough to be called completed. Hahaha...and then I have a husband who is not so much a reader as he is a "skimmer". Hahaha...he skims through and grasps the gist of it and responds from there. I also take these types of people into consideration when writing...I know I can be wordy and detailed and wordy and wordy...and well, not everyone is a reader. A chunk of people are readers, a chunk of people are skimmers, and another chunk is probably something else. If something will not capture someone's attention and call them to want to read more than it did not do it's job effectively as a written piece.
Another Side Note: I must admit, I think that I lose many people part way in reading what I write. And I have also been guilty of not reading some things and even skimming once or twice. If I know my brain won't comprehend something at the moment I will not read it and come back to it later, most of the time, unless I forget.
Ok...I feel as though I have gotten lost in whatever I was originally set out to say...I think I was just feeling a feeling and began to write and this is what came out. All good though...hope it made sense and maybe you could even relate....OH THE SCRIPTURE...hahah...
When you take the time to LISTEN FIRST and suppress the initial emotional responses evoked, you actually CHANGE your response, allow room for compassion, are able to see past someone's not-so-eloquent words, and hear their heart. Not every person is able to effectively articulate what they want to to say and it takes a looking past that to hear their heart. When we respond FIRST we let our emotions be the head of our mouths. When we STOP, DROP, and ROLL....I mean STOP, LISTEN, and HEAR...we can be pleasantly surprised at what can now take place...and usually something along the positive lines are what occur. It's proven, tested, and tried...a method that really works! Try it! See what happens, and then write a blog about it...hahaha!
Ok, catch ya later folks!
Loves and Hugs (in written form),
Christina
I am a slow processor. My mind views different angles and perceptions at the same time all while carrying with it a jumble of emotional responses. It is easy to allow the first or even second emotional response to grab the reins of my outward reactions. Oftentimes though, I find myself experiencing a new set of emotions that are, let's just say less than positive. I can't even tell you the innumerable amount of times I have set out to respond to something in writing and by the time the finished product goes out it looks so completely opposite of what I began with. I take into consideration the response and attention span of the person on the other end. Is what I'm saying going to be effective? What is the underlying message and point I am trying to make and how can I get straight to it and still explain why and how I got there? I get buried in details. I want the reader to understand and see my heart within my words. That's easier said than done given you can't SEE my facial expressions which is a huge indicator of my heart response. Writing can be so emotion-LESS and easily misconstrued. How many times has someone become offended at an email or text because the interpretation was left to their mind and not accompanied by the seeing of the persons face. Relying heavily on only one of your senses leaves too much room for misunderstandings, offenses, and incorrect interpretations.
Side Note: Hmmm...I wonder if this is what the apostles experienced when writing letters to the various churches. How careful they were in stating their case and explaining the reasoning behind it while also addressing the possible inaccurate responses that could be had. Maybe it's the writer in me that has caught that minor detail...Lol!
I must say though...I feel quite a sense of accomplishment when I have watched my original thoughts transform into my finished work. It's a journey for sure. I never just write and that's it...I write, read, re-write, and re-read how ever many times it takes to feel like something is worthy enough to be called completed. Hahaha...and then I have a husband who is not so much a reader as he is a "skimmer". Hahaha...he skims through and grasps the gist of it and responds from there. I also take these types of people into consideration when writing...I know I can be wordy and detailed and wordy and wordy...and well, not everyone is a reader. A chunk of people are readers, a chunk of people are skimmers, and another chunk is probably something else. If something will not capture someone's attention and call them to want to read more than it did not do it's job effectively as a written piece.
Another Side Note: I must admit, I think that I lose many people part way in reading what I write. And I have also been guilty of not reading some things and even skimming once or twice. If I know my brain won't comprehend something at the moment I will not read it and come back to it later, most of the time, unless I forget.
Ok...I feel as though I have gotten lost in whatever I was originally set out to say...I think I was just feeling a feeling and began to write and this is what came out. All good though...hope it made sense and maybe you could even relate....OH THE SCRIPTURE...hahah...
When you take the time to LISTEN FIRST and suppress the initial emotional responses evoked, you actually CHANGE your response, allow room for compassion, are able to see past someone's not-so-eloquent words, and hear their heart. Not every person is able to effectively articulate what they want to to say and it takes a looking past that to hear their heart. When we respond FIRST we let our emotions be the head of our mouths. When we STOP, DROP, and ROLL....I mean STOP, LISTEN, and HEAR...we can be pleasantly surprised at what can now take place...and usually something along the positive lines are what occur. It's proven, tested, and tried...a method that really works! Try it! See what happens, and then write a blog about it...hahaha!
Ok, catch ya later folks!
Loves and Hugs (in written form),
Christina
James 1:19 "Know this, my beloved brothers:
let every person be quick to hear,
slow to speak, slow to anger..."
