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[Jesus said,] “Let
your
‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’
mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from
the evil one.”
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The
person in the Kelly Clarkson’s song "Walk Away" is telling her
boyfriend that
he has to make a decision concerning loving her or not. "You
need to know this situation’s getting
old," she sings, "and now the more you talk, the less I can say. I’m looking for attention, not another
question. Should you stay or should you
go? Well, if you don’t have the
answer,
why you still standin’ here? Hey, just
walk away." It is a song of direct talk
to a person who says that he still is in love with her, but isn't showing it at
all. So, she says exactly what she
should say—"Let’s get the show on the road today."
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Kelly
Clarkson’s song lends itself to some thought about the most
important part of any relationship—communication. One of the
leadership principles that everyone
should follow is this: "Develop the ability to communicate and listen
to
others." It is the most important
principle of leadership because most American people choose to be
married, and the
tragic
lesson of married lives is that over half of those who get married also
get
divorced. Often there is good reason for
divorce, but if both parties of the marriage relationship really want
to
communicate with the other, there will be less necessity for any
divorce or
separation. Simply put, marriages will
be saved and marriages will be better if both people in the
relationship learn
to talk to one another directly.
Jesus’ words during the Sermon on the Mount are right to the point. He says that our speech must be honest at all times—"Yes" if we mean "Yes," "No" if we mean "No." For Jesus and indeed for all experts in the field of human growth, since words are the means to convey what is in the mind, they must be sincere. They must convey completely our point of view, never holding back, never saying something that our thoughts do not believe. Feelings must be told to one another. Especially in a love relationship, each person of the relationship must convey to the other the feelings he/she has, feelings that describe the way they think, the emotions they have about the things each is doing and saying. For a relationship to last, the couple’s speech must be direct and honest. Or as Kelly Clarkson sings in her song, “Let’s get the show on the road!” |
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THOUGHT
Why is
it often so difficult to convey how we
feel to another?
PRAYER Good and gracious God, we
understand our power
of speech. It is the primary means that
we have to communicate with others, but we also know that we often are
not
completely honest in the speech we use. Help
us use our gift of speech well as we interact with others.
Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |