To Speak Or Not To Speak? That Is The Question

I do not recall a time when so many words were being lobbed like exploding grenades...leaving a destructive path of wounded relationships, gaping holes filled with sorrow and dismay and the torn fabric of a country with deepening division and disunity. From the teen on Instagram to the President on Twitter, the wielding of words as weapons has become part of a daily spiral of destruction. 
I have been silent for far too long now, trying not to add to the cacophony of noise that has been deafening. 

I have chosen to wait. 

To watch and observe before speaking. 

To pray. 

To discern when and what to say...or to remain silent...

I can wait no longer. 

IT HAS TO STOP

& 

IT BEGINS WITH US

No more waiting for someone else to change. We are called to be the ones who LET LOVE LEAD. So to this love I choose to speak. May these words be edifying to our minds and inspiring to our souls as we become the difference makers that Christ calls us to be.
BEFORE we speak, e-mail, post, text anything, we must ASK OURSELVES these questions. If our response to any one of them is "no," then STOP. Choose silence, wait, listen, pray. 

1. Is it the right time or venue that it would be for the
    benefit of the hearer? Are they in a place to best
    receive these words? Most of the public conversations  
    would be more productive and meaningful if 
    they were private and in person. 2. Is it my place to speak-have I invested in this relationship
    enough that I would be granted the privilege and position
    to speak?
3. Am I qualified to speak on this...have I objectively
   gained enough facts from various viewpoints & 

   filtered them through the time-tested truths of Scripture,

   so that I am capable of speaking from a  

   well-informed manner OR am I speaking from a
   perspective that is being led predominately by my  
   feelings and popular opinions on this matter?
4. Would I say this to the person if they were standing in
    front of me...if my grandmother was
    listening...if Jesus was beside me? 
5. Am I willing to consider the other person's feelings, 
    perspective and really listen to understand
    rather than to retaliate with my next point? 
6. Are my words going to wreck or reconcile? Is what I want
   to say worth hurting someone or   
   damaging relationships? 
7. Is it how I would want someone to talk to me?
8. Are my words going to point people to Christ or away?
9. If I choose to speak, is the purpose of my words to be

    right or to reflect love? Is it selfish or selfless?

I pray God will use these words to heal...to cause us each to pause and ponder before speaking, to surrender our own agendas and pick up the perspective of Christ...

to LET HIS LOVE LEAD.