If I stumbled upon a new-to-me recipe, or a new-to-me way to organize a room, decorate a room, plan a party, manage my children, manage my household…
...and if
I made the mistake of mentioning that notion to her,
I got the “Well, of course!”
Worse yet, and definitely the most hurtful was the, “Well, of course” I received when I shared any new-to-me revelation about God or light from the Word. This was back in the early days of my walk with Christ. Everything was new to me. (Still is...) Every passage, regardless of how many times I had heard it before, exploded on the page with new meaning and direction.
I would think that I had stumbled upon some wonderful glimmer of eureka and (well of course) feel the need to share it with this woman, and...
Wham.
Well, of course.
I guess she prided herself on being too polite and cultured to say what she really meant. What she was really trying to convey, albeit without the accompanying slack jawed head wobble and eye roll was, “Well, duh!”
I guess I deserved the “Well, of course” since I ought to have learned my lesson and quieted that tongue of mine. After all, she couldn’t respond if I didn’t feel the urge to express every single thought.
Well, of course, I never did learn to hold my tongue around her. and I continually set myself up for the retort. We're no longer buddies. I decided that she was one of those acquaintances too toxic for me. Yes, Christians can be toxic too… well, of course. So I stepped away from the person rather than learn to harness that tongue.
I did learn to treat the eureka moments of others, especially of those new to the faith, with a fair amount of respect and consideration rather than some badly camouflaged, “Well, duh!”
386 words… a baby step closer to that elusive brevity
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