CONVERSATION DOMINATION -- Devotional for January 21, from "Good Seeds"

And Job said, “Let the day perish on which I was born”…Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient? But who can refrain from speaking?…Then Job answered, “Oh that my vexation were actually weighed….” (and on and on goes the conversation). (Job 3:2-3;4:1-2;6:1-2).

Disregarding the content for a moment, it is interesting to find in the book of Job a helpful pattern to follow in the fine art of conversation. You don’t see people interrupting one another. Each waits his turn, and when he does speak, it is evident he has been listening. And God is brought into the equation at every turn. People today have slipped from the common courtesies called for in good conversation, as so stridently evident in the rudeness observed between talk show hosts and their guests. You never hear the end of anyone’s sentence! It seems there are two kinds of people in the world: those who do all the talking, and those never able to get a word in edgewise! I contend that everyone who is able to talk wants t0 -- but not everyone gets to! Everywhere we see this uncomfortable and contentious competition taking place where the strongest, loudest one chooses the topic, and then dominates the floor, thus insuring that what follows is not really a conversation at all! We complain about being the innocent victim of a friend’s never-ending jabbering, but how often do we go on and on without so much as taking a breath, convinced we’re wowing and impressing and entertaining and delighting our listeners. I shudder to think how often I might have made a fool of myself with my boorish conversation domination! And so I direct this advice primarily to myself when I say to parents and anyone privileged with a position of influence over others: learn the fine art of conversation, and then pass it on to those under your charge. Not only is good conversation the pleasantest path to learning and growing, but it is the chief proving ground for good manners, and the best and most practical expression of kindness. It is interaction between two minds, the manifestation of genuine love between two hearts and, at its very best, the process by which we commune with the Lover of our souls. Yes, just as the talking that goes on between two people should not be a one-sided lecture or sermon, neither should our communion with God be a laundry list of our requests or grievances – or even a prolonged discourse enumerating our thanks and praise. As appropriate as it is to be grateful and devout, sometimes we just need to be still in God’s presence, to be quiet and listen, to wait for Him to speak, and take note of – and take to heart – what He says.