Meditations from Zion

John 9:22
His parents said this [about the miracle] because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.

I have a problem with silence in general. I don’t mean keeping the silence, at least, that’s not my norm. Nope, I am a great talker. I am a typical “extrovert” and “A-type” personality. I fill space and time with talk. I talk to think. I talk fast. And as I’m talking, I’m watching the reaction. If what I have said seems to have offended in some way, I just keep talking until the other person’s body language settles down. I can usually talk myself in and out of trouble.

And yet, there are times I keep silent. If I fear my place in the scheme of things might be at risk, I do hold back. I think this is a poor reason to be quiet. It’s not so much choosing silence as it is choosing not to speak. There’s a difference.

If we are silent for fear of reprisals, that’s not the right motive. If we are silent because we have self-edited and decided our opinion will not have value, this is not the right motive. If we are silent because we don’t want people to know who we are or what we really think, this is not the right motive.

The best silence is the one for listening. The next best silence is the one we choose to avoid sin: gossip, hurtful remarks, and angry outbursts. But being silent out of fear is a bad habit.

Today, I want to look at the silences and examine their source.