Speak Your Mind

 

    There is speaking your mind when you have something to say, then there is speaking your mind to hurt people, belittle people, make yourself look like a fool, or other simple options.  Most people that claim to speak their mind don't have anything productive to say.  They are just inserting their opinions as facts and try to make other people follow along.  It takes wisdom to speak your mind and have something worth listening.

    Job and his three friends were all speaking their mind.  Somethings were valid, but for the most part they were all just getting offended and angry.  Not sure how it could have gone better, but I know that God used this to teach people how to try to take care of each other instead of judging people.

    Job was tired of arguing.  Arguing takes a lot of energy.  Some people thrive off of it, but for most of us it exhausting.  Job was already exhausted before it began, so he was probably completely depleted at this point.  He asked them how much longer this "discussion" needed to continue?  

    Job stated again, if he had sinned, it was his sin and not theirs.  Who were they to humiliate him more than the obvious embarrassment?  Who really wants to sit around looking in his condition?  (He looked like walking death).  Why did they need to humiliate him to exalt themselves?  They did not have the capacity to hurt him more than God had.  (It was really Satan, but he didn't know that.)

    Job wanted loyal friends and they had failed at that job.  He had already lost the respect of his servants and the community, had a wife that was repulsed by him, and a family that didn't love him..  He was a target of ridicule amongst the surrounding children.  His body even turned against him. He needed someone to be there for him.  Even with all that his spirit was alive.

    Job had a pure heart for God.  He knew that one day he would see God.  That is all that he had to hold onto, so he warned his friends to be careful.  He did not want them to invite judgment upon themselves.  He didn't realize that speaking his mind was a real pearls of wisdom.  His anger was gone and he was speaking from his heart.

Job 19