Be Slow To Speak- There’s Power In The Pause

I was once on a conference call with Dr. Deborah Pegues. She is a known author of a book called “30 Days To Taming Your Emotions” (among others).  On the call we were encouraged to go on a 24 hour negative talking fast, I think. I was sure that it wouldn’t be difficult, but y’all know me.. It was HARD!!!  One thing she said on the call stuck out to me, she said, “There is power in the pause”. What she meant was that we need to think before we speak.

Fast forward to this morning. I HAVE A STORY!!! I can’t change names and situations, because, for one, I am the main character in the story and also, I would have to think hard to keep what details I changed straight.. But hey… It’s a life lesson right???

Big daughter, Kennedy- 18 years old- just got her drivers license whoo hoo! Now she can run errands. I have to be all correct and “do right”, so I put her on my car insurance (plus I have had my car barely 6 months, I ain't crazy). It hopped up $200!!! I was like Oh Lord Jesus! But hey, I gotta do what I gotta do and I made a note to research other companies besides the lizard before the 15^th so I could pay less if I found a cheaper rate. So, for the past couple weeks I planned and thought, and though and planned. I got a quote from another “reputable company” (u know flo right?). This quote was over $100 cheaper (yes I compared like for like coverage. Yes they pulled our forreal driving record).

So, I PURCHASED this new insurance, called my current company to cancel and she did her fact-finding and told me to check about that “business” part. I almost got irritated; because I was like “I TOLD THEM I conduct some business. I DID my planning.. It’s 8 am, lady just cancel my policy so I’m not charged!” But I didn’t..well, I didn’t say it, I just thought it.. So, I called Flo back and ask them about “some business.” Come to find out, although the lizard uses a percentage to determine if they would cover business on a personal policy the other company told me that any business would require me to have a business policy. So that meant that Nate and Kennedy would likely have to have a separate policy with me as an additional driver and I would have a business policy with them as additional drivers (do you see the numbers spinning around in my head??). so when I told Flo that I wanted to cancel, she said ok, your payment will still go through, then we will hold it for 15 days then process your refund. (crickets...)  Did you see my head spinning??  So I’m going to have you holding a payment, the other insurance company taking a payment. Oh no. I have a senior, I gotta pay for all this stuff, I got stuff to do this week, blah blah blah.. (This is all in MY HEAD mind you).

I called my bank, stopped the payment. The nice lady even waived the fee.  In the meantime Flo calls me and tells me that she caught my payment in accounting, that it was canceled, and it wouldn’t hit my bank.

It all worked out, I still will be researching, but I have a little more time..

But Samele, why does this matter and what does it have to do with pausing?

James 1:9 (NLT) says “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” (emphasis mine)

Yep, James is talking about being angry (or not to be angry, or to take your time before getting angry), but this should have been my guiding principal today (and every day) quick to listen, I should have been. SLOW TO SPEAK (or get on the phone) I should have been.  Even though I planned and planned, I didn’t pray and pray. I just knew that that savings of over $100 was a good thing and why even ask?

A fruit of the spirit is patience. I should have exercised that.  This time it all worked out, but can you IMAGINE if I had all that money tied up?? I ain’t rich? I can’t handle that..

I should have paused.  How often do we rush out ahead of God and do something before He tells us to, or before we even ask? Then, we scramble around trying to fix our mess.. OR, worse, blame God for all the things that could have gone wrong (in this case canceled policies, possible bank account situations, ohh I don’t even want to think about it) . EVERYTHING requires checking with God. This is part of a RELATIONSHIP. He will guide us if we ask.