Talk Isn’t Always Cheap

CORE PRACTICE #13: Communicate about spiritual matters—which should be the number one priority of your life.

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. —Colossians 4:6

Lauren

I have a friend who is a gifted facilitator of group conversations. He puts people at ease, whether he’s leading discussions between couples, members of sports teams, small group Bible studies, church or business committees, or in larger gatherings. His key to success is evident in the way he treats and responds to others: He strongly believes that everyone has something to share and should have the opportunity to do so, no matter how big the setting.

No matter what they say or how silly or inappropriate their comments may seem at the time, he makes everyone who speaks feel affirmed simply for taking the risk to communicate their feelings to others. As a result, learning takes place, conflict is lessened, team unity is enhanced, and productivity is increased.

Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, College Edition, defines communication as: “giving, or giving and receiving, of information, signals, or messages by talk, gestures, writing, etc.” Between individuals, communication takes many forms, as it does between Tony and me. We have learned not only what the spoken words from each other usually mean, but we have learned to decipher the nuances in the tone or manner in which they are delivered. We have learned what certain facial expressions, hand signals, and body mannerisms mean. That’s been especially true for me, since Tony didn’t talk much in the early years! Together our words and body language allow us to communicate effectively. Of course, that’s only because we have spent years learning the language between us.

Communication between God and humans requires the same discipline. It takes practice; it takes spending time in the presence of the living God to be able to learn to communicate effectively with Him. When you do this consistently, you will you feel as though you are connecting to that divine source of power for your life.

One way to draw closer to God is through regular daily prayer. We learn to hear from and speak with God as we study His Word. We become better communicators when we talk with one another about something God has revealed to us through prayer, His Word, or a wise teacher. Conversing with God and then telling others about the Lord and what He is trying to show us is one of the most life-changing disciplines in which we can engage.

It should come as no surprise that Tony and I enjoyed attending church together on Sundays when we were dating. Afterward, we would go out to lunch and spend hours discussing the sermon and other aspects of the worship service. “What did you get out of that?” “What do you think the pastor meant when he said . . . ?” “What point do you think he was trying to make with that story about the little girl?”

As our conversation heated up, our half-eaten food grew colder by the minute. When we engaged in this give-and-take, we often found we were on the same page with what we heard. But sometimes we had each pulled something much different from the message. That was when we realized how God used both of us to expand the point He was trying to pass along to the other person through that day’s message. So while I may never be as gifted a facilitator as my friend, I hope I never stop trying to better communicate with Tony, those around me, and God.

Adventure Application: Choose one way to grow in your communication with each other and with God this week. You might decide to spend a few minutes together praising God or asking for His direction in a certain area of your life. Or you might discuss a sermon, Scripture passage, or book you’re reading over lunch some day this week.