Bull’s Eye

At our family reunion, my little cousin said something to his sister that made her cry. You know how kids are.

Especially brother and sister. 

Of course he didn’t mean to, but nevertheless, the waterworks were in full force on his sister’s face. I took the moment to try and teach him a life lesson we all need to be reminded of daily: 

Communication is everything. 

I told him that what he said to her made her cry. 

Even if he didn’t mean to, she was still hurt.

I said to him, everything we say is similar to shooting an arrow at a bull’s eye. We have our target of what we want the person to hear. But sometimes, we don’t hit the bull’s eye. In fact, we can even hit the person we are talking to with our arrows if we’re not careful! 

He chuckled a bit, and understood the analogy I was making. I said in closing that I know he didn’t mean to make her cry but the reality is, what he said did. He then knew he needed to apologize and go clearly communicate what he meant to say. 

Verses to consider:

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.”

Proverbs 10:19

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” 

James 1:19 (NIV)

Your next steps:

It’s not the most convenient truth, but even as adults we still know, it’s not about what you say, it’s about what they hear. It’s our responsibility as the speaker to communicate in a way that is mindful of others and their feelings. 

This takes understanding and empathy. 

It might take you a little more patience when you’re trying to speak to others, but in the long run, you will hit the bull’s eye a lot more often, if you CAREFULLY take aim. 

Much love,

Lowery