As problems arise in your relationships, you\u2019ll be forced to become a translator, negotiator, diplomat, and peacekeeper. And good communication skills are essential. Nothing is more frustrating than being misunderstood, misheard, ignored, or misconstrued. <\/p>\n
But talking isn\u2019t always the answer. Sometimes it exacerbates the problem. Our mistake is we\u2019re often too wordy about the issue itself; in other words, we talk about it when we should be quiet and focus on a solution. God has given you the gifts you need to change the situation. Don\u2019t talk about it; instead, do<\/i> it! <\/p>\n
If we misuse words or talk out of hand, it can lead us away from a solution we would otherwise see. James tells us that what we say has immense power for destruction. \u2018The tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.\u2019<\/i> (James\u00a03:5\u00a0NLT<\/sup>) Just our tone of voice can escalate a conversation into a raging fire! Don\u2019t be the person with flames coming out of your mouth. Tame your tongue. Grab hold of the situation when it arises and bring light and life to it! <\/p>\n Our conversations are to be seasoned with grace (see\u00a0Colossians\u00a04:6). Speak positively, because God is still on the throne and He has a plan. Responding appropriately often requires quietness, then careful reflection. And sometimes it\u2019s better just to remain quiet. When you\u2019re anxious, chances are you\u2019ll over-talk. When you\u2019re angry, you\u2019ll make the situation worse. And when you\u2019re too aggressive, you\u2019ll lose instead of winning. <\/p>\n The Bible says, \u2018In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.\u2019<\/i> And that\u2019s a Scriptural principle that always works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As problems arise in your relationships, you\u2019ll be forced to become a translator, negotiator, diplomat, and peacekeeper. And good communication skills are essential. Nothing is more frustrating than being misunderstood, misheard, ignored, or misconstrued. But talking isn\u2019t always the answer. Sometimes it exacerbates the problem. Our mistake is we\u2019re often too wordy about the issue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ucbmedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}