Rue-ting for the truth with Rutendo Watananga
Some relationships and marriages could have worked out while suicides, hate, grudges could have been avoided but because someone chose not to be silent the unfortunate happened.
We are living in a world that is evil. The world where love and peace no longer exist, where hate speech has become a normal no matter how hurtful it is. Can you imagine people are dying due to depression simply because of a brother or sister who chose to speak when they were not supposed to. There is power in silence especially in difficult situations where people are discouraged, depressed and hurt. Words may fail to give hope or encouragement.
In the bible Job went through a tragedy when he lost all his possessions including his children. I just tried to imagine the pain he was going through while mourning his children and seeing his wealth destroyed. What kind of words could be used to comfort him? That was the kind of situation where words were not the best answer to comfort him in this tragedy.
There are circumstances in life where we need to keep quiet. Just remain silent.
When all this was happening to Job and his wife they were silent, but the moment they opened their mouths nothing good came out of their mouths because they were in pain. Imagine his wife was quiet all the time the tragedy struck but the moment she started talking she told Job to curse God and die.
She said hurtful words towards her husband because she was in pain in a situation that needed silence not speech because no words could make things better. The same thing can be said of Job, the moment he opened his mouth to say a word all he could say was cursing the day he was born.
This applies to our daily lives. We go through situations that leave us feeling lifeless, discouraged, hurt and hopeless but not every situation requires us to open our mouths and speak. Sometimes silence is the answer. The Bible says in the book of James chapter 1 verse 19 “…….be slow to speak……”
We need to master the same art too and “be slow to speak”.
Many misfortunes could have been avoided if someone chose to walk away and say nothing, but all happened because someone spoke out of anger and ended up killing each other physically, spiritually or emotionally.
Relationships with family and friends were broken because some failed to remain silent when they were supposed to.
Ephesians 4:31-32 says “Let every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarrelling, and evil, slanderous talk. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.”
It is my prayer that God gives us the strength and courage to remain silent where we are supposed to. It will help us live a peaceable life and equip us with the essential knowledge that there is power in silence.
- Rutendo Watananga is an entrepreneur, Mentor and Nursing student at Eden University, Zambia. She can be contacted via: faithwatananga@gmail.com
