It started out like a pretty normal day. Spend time with Jesus, workout, get ready, drive to school. I talked on my phone for a little while as I drove. Then there was silence for a few golden hours. Something changed when I got out of the car to order some Starbucks in anticipation of class. My voice was gone. I could barely squeak the words out for my order.
I couldn’t figure out what had happened. I didn’t really feel sick. I hadn’t spent a lot of time talking in the previous days and for sure not in the previous hours. My voice was just gone and has been now for almost five days. I entertained my class over the weekend in my attempt to communicate. I have opted to use Skype to type out some important conversations. Sometimes I have just strained my voice so I could be heard and understood.
It has been inconvenient. It also has got me thinking. I have been forced to slow down (since it did turn into a cold). I have chosen to spend more time listening. It has also made me think about what is really important to communicate and forced me to evaluate why I want to say what I want to say.
I value my ability to communicate. I depend on my words to facilitate that communication. Yet I have been reminded in the last few days that some of the best communication is in listening. James 1:19 says, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” This is a great opportunity to reorder my responses, being quick to listen and slow to speak or become angry. I am praying I choose to apply this when my voice returns.
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