Sunday, March 14, 2010

know when and what...and when not to


(view through the bathroom window)

To me, the worst thing would be that out of naiveté, or out of stupidity, or out of fear, you didn't know when to speak or you didn't know what to say. What I ask from God is that He illuminate me so that I can do what I need to do.

~ Father Miguel Lopez ~
on his ministry in Michoacan, Mexico,
a state where the violence of
the narcotics trade leads
to assassinations, kidnappings,
and extortion.

(Washington Post)

When I was little, I would sometimes get in trouble for things I would say. Given that I am an enneagram 8, bluntness is hard-wired in me. That has its advantages and disadvantages.

Learning not to say everything that crosses my mind and learning some tactfulness has been a great benefit. However, sometimes I blurt.

I continue to pray that not only my feet but my mind and my lips be guided by the Divine. God has no small challenge steering me.

5 comments:

Carrie Wilson Link said...

While tact is all well and good, sometimes a well placed blurt can really jar someone when/where they need it.

Susan O'Neil said...

Is this also true for 1's? do you remember what you said to me when i said that i was sure i was an 8? You said, "Susan, 8's don't make a list (that they keep in their filing cabinet) for future therapy to clean out their psyche like they're going to clean out their closets. You're a 1." I like 8s. I like their bluntness. Are 1s generally blunt or am i just specially blessed?

Susan O'Neil said...

PS. I'm still getting into trouble for what I say.

Deb Shucka said...

I'm reading this after reading the most current post about your leading boob. Maybe the steering would go easier if you weren't so crooked. :-)

I stopped blurting a long time ago, but sometimes my silence doesn't serve me well either.

graceonline said...

Sometimes I wonder if the world would be a better place if we could blurt at will. But then, blurt can hurt, eh?