But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Matthew 26:63
This week I was teaching my class about effective communication. We talked about “I” statements instead of “you” statements and how paraphrasing is a key skill to listening. We talked about nonverbal forms as well such as eye-contact and space. And then I mention how much is communicated with silence. At which point in the lesson I stop talking. And I wait. Until the students can start to feel the power in the silence.
There is the old saying, “It is better to remain silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove them right.” And there are times that might be true. But there are times where someone is ranting about something, and while you could open your mouth and prove them wrong in what they are saying, it is often better to remain silent, answer nothing, and hold your peace. Because they will eventually be proven wrong all on their own.
Twice in my life now, that I know of, I’ve had someone, in an effort to tear me down, spread rumors about me and how mean I am or something. Both times, rather than confront the person, rather than going around and actively trying to correct what was being said, I simply quietly, peacefully, went about my own life and eventually everyone the person told the rumors to realized the lies they were and they came out as bad as they hoped I would.
Hold your peace. It is often the best, and sometimes the only, answer.
I am an educator and PhD. I quilt, belly dance, run, read, and try to grow things. I am a Mormon. I am infertile. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, grand-daughter, friend, wife, and mom.
Brett L. Dennis
Mama g
Giggles
AmandaStretch
