Here we are eight months into the worst pandemic any of us have ever witnessed and sadly, we are seeing an increase of COVID cases in our local area. I’m sure that all of us are praying for this trend to rapidly reverse as well as for a vaccine to end this protracted and difficult experience.
I’ve written before about highlighting blessings that we can thank God for even though life is different, but this week I want zero in on a technological tool and a spiritual lesson it can teach us. When all of this craziness began back in March, I, like many others, had never heard of a Zoom call. Zoom is what airplanes and rockets did as well as our paychecks.
Thankfully this technology has enabled many organizations and businesses to continue to function somewhat normally in spite of the inability to meet in person. Most of us rapidly learned to use this method to stay in touch with friends, organizational boards, and even Bible Studies.
One of the finer points of Zoom protocol is to mute yourself when you’re not speaking. This prevents others from overhearing everything that’s going on wherever we may be. Our barking dogs, blaring televisions, screaming children, or ringing phones are all openly broadcast to everyone else if we fail to take this courteous action.
Unmuting oneself is very simple when it is time to add to the conversation although we sometimes forget to do so. An easy click of the mouse is all that’s required to enhance the quality of each Zoom meeting or discussion.
While I was muting myself on a recent Zoom call, it reminded me of the words of Jesus’ half-brother, James, where he says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Or course, James wrote those words nearly 2,000 years before the first Zoom call was ever initiated but it is just as current and appropriate today as it was then.
This advice proves equally beneficial in all of life. Too often in our haste to add our two cents we are quick to speak and slow to listen. Instead of hearing some sound advice or insightful comments from others, we are determined to express our opinions, and sometimes our ignorance, for others’ consideration.
Though there’s nothing wrong with contributing to a group discussion, Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes remind us that there is a time to speak and a time to remain silent. He might write today, there is a time to mute and a time to unmute.
Of course this advice is also applicable to posts on social media. Less is usually more when it comes to thoughtful comments and replies. Few of us will read through something very long anyway unless we know the author and get caught up in their remarks. The less we say, the less opportunity we have of saying something we will later regret.
Solomon also reminds us in the book of Proverbs (10:19), “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise,” and (17:27) “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint.” This is golden advice for in-person meetings and conversations as well as Zoom calls and social media. Although there are times I’ve regretted not saying something, my list of regrettable comments I did say is much longer and I suspect that’s probably true for most all of us.
While Zoom has been a helpful crutch during this season of history, it’s no substitute for face to face interactions. I’m looking forward to getting back together again when the Coronavirus has passed. But when we do, let’s remember to keep ourselves muted more than we speak. We’ll be glad for it later.
Blessings, George