“From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.” -Proverbs 16:23
May I humbly suggest we take the above Bible verse and memorize it so that our words will not ruin any chances of us receiving blessings, saying, “I’m sorry” and humbling ourselves when we are in the wrong, and truly mean it is the absolute guarantee to our successes.
Blaming others and accusing others for our mistakes only destroys our reputation, character, honor, and integrity. These things are what promotes and distinguishes you amongst the rest. If we aren’t wise to preserve and protect ourselves we loose out big time.
Wise people are persuasive with their kind, respectful, and loving words. Wise people aren’t fake. They are real people who clearly understand what kindness, caring, and loving others is all about. They understand when they are wrong and apologize, making amends for the wrong they have done.
The proud and rude person takes no responsibility for their actions at all. It’s everyone’s fault. It’s society. It’s the leaders. It’s the environment. It's all about them and the poor-me syndrome and entitlement mentality. The whole world owes them. No character, no honor, no integrity in anything that comes forth out of their mouths.
Friends, guard your mouth and control your tongue. If we can’t control our mind, mouth, and tongue, we can’t control our actions, and our words will come back to destroy us.
So, then, what do I mean by destroy us? I mean I (and many others in leadership positions like me) will never work with people who have these character traits. The last thing any wise person ever wants is to show themselves as unwise to the Chief Executive Officer or President of any company. I was in a meeting where the person was supposed to pass in a very important document for the last 2 months. An agreement was made, emails confirmed, due dates established, and extensions were allowed by me. I normally don’t do that. If I say, “It needs to be done by this date no exception.” Then it better be in my possession by midnight that day. I was being extremely kind to the person, allowing the project to go beyond September 1.
Wise people take responsibility and will try to explain themselves in a truthful and respectful manner. That didn’t happen this morning. I got blamed even when I had the 6 emails clearly stating what was to be done, by whom, and by when. When I refused to accept the disrespectful accusation, I was accused of being at fault. The person completely ignored the remaining five emails that were exchanged. When fault was proved to be theirs, it turned into I was being prejudice.
I wasn’t surprised by the reaction or the accusation because this is how many people act in our world who are unable to take responsibility for their actions. When I stood my position, because I was in the right, with paperwork to prove it, the person tried to accuse me on what everyone in the entire world does. Prejudice!
When we act in a unwise manner, we harm ourselves. We ruin our reputation, and we miss out on the huge blessings God had for us. God uses people as vehicles to take us from point A to point B all the time getting us to our final destination point Z! Do you clearly understand this concept? Wise people get it. No one gets anywhere without the leading of God. This is the first thing we must recognize. When we begin to thank God for helping us, then we will be respectful and kind to those who He sends to get us from point A to our final destination Point Z. Please understand this truth. When we are rude and disrespectful, we harm ourselves and destroy the very dreams we have for ourselves.
What a way to start my day. I care about people, and I sincerely do all I can to help people. If I had a penny for all the recommendations and private calls I have made to help people I would be more than just a millionaire. Being called prejudice this morning reminded me just how foolish people can be. Unwise minds destroy everything. If you find yourself in a poor situation ask yourself this question, “What am I thinking? What is coming forth from my mouth, and what are my actions?” Then, stop where you are and turn yourself around.
Hope is for everyone, even for those who messed up. You just have to work a lot more harder now to prove yourself a person of character and integrity. Take responsibility and make things right. Mean it, own it, and change it. It’s not rocket science. It starts from your mind, followed by your speech and put into actions by your behavior. Live a wise life!
Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro
Founder and President of Thread of Hope, Inc.