What If I Say the Wrong Thing?
“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.” Matthew 10:18-19
Being misunderstood, not speaking clearly, and even “putting my foot in my mouth” has been a challenge throughout most of my life. Thinking before I spoke never came naturally to me. PRAYING before I spoke was an even more foreign concept.
With friends, I often become a source of entertainment because I inevitably dig myself into a hole. With managers and stakeholders at work, I often amplify anxieties and fears already present within them when I make things sound way worse than they actually are. So how do I break free from worrying about saying the wrong thing at the wrong time?
In today’s gospel, Jesus offers practical wisdom for people like me who struggle with things like social anxiety and fear of being perceived negatively. Instead of worrying about what I’m going to say, Jesus invites me to relax, take it easy, and trust God. Instead of swinging between over-planning and underprepared improvisation, Jesus invites me to take a gentler middle path that simply involves praying for God’s words to become my words.
In moments when those worries return, I am reminded that I come from God’s belovedness and that there is nothing I could say that could take that away. Before meeting with people old or new, I now pray “The 3rd Step Prayer” which comes from various 12 Step Recovery programs and goes like this:
“God, I offer myself to you to build with me and to do with me as You will. Relieve me of the bondage of self that I may better do your will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help, through your power, your love, and your way of life. May I do your will always!”
Consistency in praying for God’s words is still a challenge, but in every circumstance that I chose to follow Jesus and pray this prayer, I’ve been astounded with how God provides exactly the right words so that I can show up with greater confidence, hope, and tenderness.
Who am I being invited to speak with soon that I will need God’s help to choose the right words?
Nathan Dias