Smart Or Wise?

14 Jul

“A smart person knows what to say.  A wise person knows whether or not to say it.”
~ Unknown

We deal in information all the time, do we not?  We know things, all sorts of things, about situations and about people.  We love to gather information and we love to disseminate it as well.  Sometimes, we do so because it is necessary.  It is important that someone else becomes aware of what we know so that no one gets hurt, a project could be successful, or some other very good reason.

Sometimes, we like to talk simply because it gives us the upper hand.  That is generally referred to as gossip.  We might know the information about situations or people.  The question we need to ask ourselves, though, is whether other people need to hear what we have to say.

Are we speaking for the edification of others?  Are we speaking for the protection of others?  Are we speaking for the education of others?  If we are not, if we are speaking, instead, so that others can know what we know even at the cost of another individual, we are doing the wrong thing.

I am sure all of us have been on the wrong end of someone’s talk.  We have been burned or embarrassed because someone knew something and did not care that their telling of it would hurt us.  I am also sure that we have been on the talking end and said things that we should have kept to ourselves and, in the process, have hurt or embarrassed someone else.

Just because we know something does not mean that we should say it.  That would fall under the virtue of charity, wouldn’t it?  If we care for one another, if we love one another as charity dictates, we need to be careful about what we share and what we keep to ourselves.

FAITH ACTION:  Ask God to give you the wisdom you need when you speak to others.