How about this? A little formula for saying what you want to say: S.A.Y.- I.T.
SAY
S
Search your own heart and mind for what you really want to convey.
A
Assess your audience so that you can access their attention.
Y
Yell softly. Choose high impact words. Notice how the room gets quiet to hear a whisper.
IT
I
Involve multiple senses and receptors.
T
Terminate before you lose attention. It is better to stop short and leave the door open for future interaction.
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Here is more:
Saying More With Fewer Words
"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." - Proverbs 10:19 (NIV)
I am working on using fewer words to say more.
At the very least, there is a hopeful suspicion that more might be read, understood, retained, and activated in choices.
Add the decreased possibilities of slipping into one of many snares of life that are labeled with my name (or so it seems).
There is much more that I could say, but there is wisdom in not saying too much.
That is our working assumption after all.
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Now, let's take one more step:
"Be still and know that I am God..."
This is a verse I memorized decades ago. It has been with me since I was a child, inscribed upon my heart and mulled over again and again with ever deepening understanding. However, I suspect that I have not begun to truly internalize the depth of its implications in my life either in the mandate toward stillness or the call to knowing.
On this truth I will meditate this week after Holy Week.
Let's listen to what God has to say.