Just Another Noise
My mother was a wise woman. She raised me right, to include ingraining within me both a moral and ethical code focusing on servant leadership. Mom wasn't a fan of gossip, nor was she keen on my joining the verbal fracas just to be heard. Like most moms, she used to say, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." It wasn't until my adult years that I understood, Mom wasn't advising me to always be nice; rather, Mom's sage advice was not to become just another voice in the crowd, another decibel in the din of conversation. She was telling me that my opinion should be unique and impactful, not just more of the same noise.
Jesus said the same thing in Matthew when he spoke about judging others.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matt 7:1-6, NIV)
In giving us Godly counsel about judging others, Jesus wisely closes the passage with instruction on maintaining the value of our own counsel. Unlike today's social media, where we constantly "sound off" on every whim, every topic, every item that offends us, Jesus called the Apostles then, just as He (and our mothers) calls us now, to speak wisely and not waste words. Being just another voice in the cacophony of sound is poor use of God's wise counsel. Think of it this way, how many Minions did Gru have and how many of them gave Gru worthwhile opinions?
Put another way, as the commercial used to say, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."
–Mark Klages is an influential contributor, a former US Marine and a lifelong teacher who focuses on applying a Christian worldview to everyday events. Mark blogs at https://maklagesl3.wixsite.com/website under the title "God Provides where Hate Divides," with a heart to heal social, political, relational, and intellectual wounds through God's divine love and grace. Mark can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klages-04b42511/.