«The Lord God has given me a learned tongue, so that I may know how to sustain the weary with words. And morning after morning he wakens, and he wakens my ear to listen like those who are being taught» (Isaiah 50:4, ISV).
AFTER HEARING HIS SERMON about talents, a church member went up to the minister with the following enquiry: «Pastor, take a look at my dilemma. I believe that I have only one talent, but I am not convinced that it is very good.»
«Oh, really? And what is your talent?’ the pastor wanted to know.
«Gossip. I like talking about others a lot. What can I do to change?»
«Do you remember the parable of the man who was given only one talent and went and buried it?’ the minister reminded him.
«Yes,» replied the man.
«Go and do the same.»
Although the story is funny, gossip is not at all amusing, nor is it a minor matter. It is a practice that affects too many people (the one who speaks, the one who listens, and the person who is the object of the comments) and comes from an impulse that is contrary to the love and purity to which the gospel invites us.
Naturally, we are just women of flesh and bone who, as such, lack the wisdom of the Almighty. As the prophet Isaiah explains well in today’s verse, it is the Lord who gives us a learned tongue to be able to express pertinent words to those who hear us. When the apostle James asks, «Who is wise and understanding among you?» (3:3), we can well reply with the second part of the verse from Isaiah: the one who wakens her ear morning by morning «to listen like those who are being taught.»
There are many people who need a word of encouragement that never arrives: people tired of the cares of life, people discouraged by daily problems, people st1Bsed because it is difficult to make ends meet, people sick and alone in a hospital bed, people who have lost a loved one, people who have suffered some type of abuse, people who are alone or depressed… Could you take them words that are like balm? For this, you need to be situated at the foot of the cross, read the Word of God, and ask for that sensitivity toward people that translates into words of wisdom.
As was the case with the manna in the wilderness, it is necessary to go out every day to gather our supply in the silence of the dawn and in the intimacy of His presence.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2020
«One Day at a Time»
From: Patricia Muñoz Bertozzi
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Magda Sanz T
