Communication is Vital

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”    ― George Bernard Shaw

Too many people are fighting these days. It's insane. Don't get me wrong, I know arguments will happen- we're all human. But until people can learn how to communicate, and communicate effectively, nothing will be adequately solved. My dad taught me at a young age the importance of communication. He realized it’s necessity because of how much he had lacked it in his relationships.  It wasn't until I married my husband, I realized how right my dad was: communication is absolutely essential for a marriage to work. Recently, I've learned how essential it is in every successful relationship, including the work force, between children, in ministry, with friends, it’s needed everywhere.  

We live in a day in age where we are so worried we will offend someone if we tell them the truth, so we simply do not tell them anything. It’s destroying our relationships- all of them.  When communication is lacking, it’s our human nature to assume. Henry Winkler was right when he said: “Assumptions are the termites of relationships.” However, when communication is present, there is no room for questions, there’s no room for assumptions, and there’s no room for relational termites.

The definition of communication is "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs."   The Bible even talks about communication. In Ephesians 4:29, we read- Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  This is often the verse we go to when we don’t want to tell somebody something is wrong, when we don’t want to communicate. We worry we might hurt someone with the truth, so we just don’t tell them. The definition for the word corrupt is: “guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked: debased in character; depraved; perverted; wicked; evil” We’re not supposed to have evil, corrupt communication come out of our mouths. Simple. We are supposed to be encouraging. Simple. We forget however, that we are supposed to help our friends become better, and more like Christ. We are reminded of this in Proverbs 27:17 - “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” We’re supposed to help each other, to communicate, to love, and edify each other. This is not done unless there is communication.

The Bible says in Colossians 4:6 - Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.  Our words need to be good words, helpful, encouraging words, but they also need to be truthful. There are few things more powerful than the truth, spoken with grace, and done tastefully. On the contrary, there are few things LESS tasteful, than the lack of truth, containing no grace, and done hurtfully. People remember how communication is handled, or how it is overlooked. If we are going to be influential people, we HAVE to learn how to communicate Biblically.  

Matthew 12:35 reminds us that “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”  When you have the right heart, your conversations, your communications will be done correctly. We need to constantly check our hearts, and ask God to make sure we have the fruits of the spirit with us. Colossians 3:8 tells us some characteristics we should not have in our communication - “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”  Doing, and saying the right things is not always easy, but it’s the absolute best way for our communication to be given, and received correctly.

Before you become afraid to ever talk again, I wanted to share with you some verses about communication. In Psalms 55:14, The Bible says - “We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” When we are in good company, communicating correctly, our conversations will be sweet, and Godly. Luke 24:14-15 tells us “And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.”  We’re supposed to talk to each other. We're supposed to have good, Godly friends.  When we have the kind of communication we are supposed to, the Bible says God will be with us. In Malachi 3:16 The Bible says “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”  Communication is VITAL to every relationship. It needs to be done frequently, and it needs to be done correctly. Communication needs to be in every single relationship- at home, at work, in ministry, everywhere, so as not to let the termites of assumption eat away, and destroy our relationships.