Inspiration for the week.

"There is strength in silence." My pastor's wife, Ginger Okerstrom, said this years ago when I was living in Florida. I was just a kid in my 20's then, but that quote has stayed with me all these years. Truth is, I tend to leave it's wisdom tucked away in a remote corner of my brain or to barrel through and ignore the words when I do hear them. My personality is a strong one, but often I lower myself to a weakling because I feel the need to defend myself if I'm misunderstood.

E-mails are a wonderful way to communicate, but there are times when words can fall flat, or be misunderstood. Because of the absence of voice inflection, the reader is left to their own interpretation of the message that the writer is trying to convey.

This past week, during communications with a business associate, I found myself in a situation that eventually led me to receive what amounted to a professional "Dear John" e-mail. It stung. In my eagerness to assist a customer, I had managed to alienate a vendor. My natural inclination was to defend myself, to be heard and to be understood. Thankfully, Ginger's words came back to me and this time I listened.

I left the computer and said a little prayer. I mulled over what I wanted to say in defense of my situation. But Ginger's words continued to run through my thoughts so, by the time I returned to the computer, I knew what I needed to do. I would simply apologize. No qualifying words in my e-mail, no explanation, nothing except a sincere apology. I was sincerely sorry for the situation. Nothing more needed to be said. I needed to be silent. I typed out a very heartfelt, very short, concise apology. By the end of the day, there was no reply to indicate if my apology had been accepted or not. Still, I was at peace with the situation. I put the issue behind me and went to bed. The next morning, the first e-mail I read, was an acceptance of my apology. Along with the gracious acceptance there was a beautiful compliment for me.

I learned several valuable lessons through this situation; There really is strength in silence. Sometimes, the less said, the better.

Ecc. 9:17 "The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools."
Ecc. 10:4 "...calmness can lay great errors to rest."


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