Meditation for Perfectionists – Sunday August 25, 2019

Two Way Conversations

Ecclesiastes 3:7: “…a time to be silent and a time to speak.”

I have often felt responsible for the silence in conversations. Though I usually did not fill up the quiet spaces with excessive talk, my stomach churned when the other person did not respond. I believed I must say the right thing at the right time for the right reason. Maybe this is one reason why being with people has often worn me out.

Now I’m learning I am not responsible for both ends of a two-way conversation. Although I endeavor to create an atmosphere conducive to sharing, I am accountable only for my own input. I cannot coerce my partner into communicating.

Silences are becoming more comfortable for me; the anxiety is decreasing. When my fellow conversationalist is subdued, withdrawn, surly or agitated, it is not my responsibility to talk my way to fixing it. I am learning to let it be!

Lord, please give me wisdom and understanding
about the appropriate times to speak or be silent.

Copyright Joan C. Webb

For more from Joan Webb visit www.joancwebb.com