Sometimes You Just Need to Know When to Keep Your Mouth Shut
Or, in this case, your hands off the keyboard. Three times today I have typed long responses in various comment boxes around the web, and before I hit the fatal "post" button, I thought, "Why are you writing this? Hasn't it already been said? The author was not asking for a majority opinion, your input has not been solicited, courtesy and charity do not demand it--why intrude? All three times, I have stayed my wicked hand, and the comment has gone unposted. And you know what? I don't feel demeaned, diminished, impoverished, or otherwise detracted from. In fact, I rejoice in the fact that I have said little (let's not go so far as to say nothing) that I regret.
Praise God for the little reminders that make of community life so much better an experience. Who knows how many hurt feelings I have not caused today? Who knows who I have not offended who otherwise might have gone off quite put out? Some things simply don't need to be said. I don't really need to get them off my chest, you don't really need to hear them. By not saying them, we benefit the blogging community enormously with the opportunity for good will. It's amazing the way God works through the very small things for our greater good.
Noted later: Make that four--I just deleted another tartly worded post elsewhere in blogdom, in a place known not for being a comfortable place.
