02/15/2021
Stop Filling in the Blanks
My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry. If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things that God wants done. You must stop doing anything immoral or evil. Instead be humble and accept the message that is planted in you to save you.
─ James 1:19-21 CEV
Stop Filling in the Blanks
Frankie and Jessica divorced, and it was not amicable. Frankie believed most of their friends sided with Jessica, so when he ran into Michael, one of their mutual friends, while picking up his daughter from school, he ducked his head to try to avoid a conversation he assumed would not be pleasant.
To his surprise, Michael caught him by the arm and said, “Hey man! I’ve missed you.” Their quick exchange revealed Michael had assumed he should give Frankie space because of it would make his grief over the divorce more traumatic.
If Frankie and Michael hadn’t filled in the blanks with assumptions, things could have been very different for both of them.
Have you ever made a wrong assumption? All of us do. Our verse today encourages us to be quick to listen and slow to speak or to become angry. Life is difficult, especially when we go through really difficult things.
Here are four things we can do to stop filling in the blanks:
- Slow down.
- Refuse to jump to conclusions.
- Examine your assumptions.
- Ask yourself, “What if my assumptions are not true?”
Today’s One Thing
Think about times you’ve incorrectly filled in the blanks. How would it have looked differently if you’d taken the advice from our verse today? Ask God to help you implement the four things above to help you.
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