Speaking The Truth In Love - Timing Matters

Do you struggle with speaking the truth in love in your relationships? If you answered yes, this biblical truth and tip will help you. Speaking at the wrong time can sabotage your communication. Timing does matter. Like it or not, there is wisdom in using timing to your advantage.

You've probably heard your mother say at least one time in your life to not talk to your father when he first walked in the door from work. There are times when people are less receptive to hearing your truth. To maximize the possibility that your listener will respond positively to your conce s, you want to pick a time that the person isn't stressed, distracted, exhausted, shut-down, intoxicated, or emotionally reactive. If the person is any of these things, you may not get the response that you hope for.

It takes self-control on your part to wait. It also takes a knowledge of the person you are dealing with because you have to know the person's personality and hot buttons. If you pay attention, you should be able to identify the topics that the person reacts to and the person's personality to know how and when the person will be more receptive. My husband doesn't want to talk about serious topics right before bed, over the phone, when he is at work, and right when he walks in the door from work. When I try to talk to him during any of these times, it predictably backfires. He will either refuse to talk about it or be irritable and uncooperative. I have my bad times too: I don't like to talk about things early in the morning or when I am around other people.

We all have hot buttons where we are emotional and reactive. That doesn't mean you can never bring these topics up, but it does mean you need to be more sensitive to the fact that timing will matter even more.

It may seem enabling to have to consider timing; after all, shouldn't the person be strong enough to take whatever you have to say and isn't it the person's responsibility to deal with his/her own emotions? Yes. Each person is responsible for his/her own emotions and reactions. This isn't to keep anyone from being responsible. It is only suggesting you use common sense in considering when to bring up touchy subjects. People aren't perfect and if your goal is to communicate your truth and have it received and understood, then timing does matter. Proverbs 16:32 says, "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city."

When speaking your truth in love, remember that timing matters.