You Can Still Win the Race

Proverbs 17:27,28 The one who knows much says little; an understanding person remains calm. Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they're smart. (MSG)

You and I will possibly never be the fastest, smartest, or most successful person in the room. But there is something that’ll get us to the front of the pack. Would you like to know what it is?

A friend of mine, Peter Sewell, shared this story with me recently: “When I was 5 years old, I ran at a school carnival. All the kids stopped before the ribbon. I was coming last but ran through the ribbon and won. I’ve always been a good listener and followed the instructions.”

Don’t you just love that? Problem is, many of us aren’t like that. If I could turn the clock back to go give my younger self some advice, it’d go like this: Berni, sit down, shut up, and listen.

I, like many, spent too much of my life talking and way too little of it listening. So allow me, if you will, to drop this sensational pearl of godly wisdom into your heart today:

Proverbs 17:27,28 The one who knows much says little; an understanding person remains calm. Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart. (MSG)

How often do we just start talking, start running, without listening? What God’s telling us here is that the less we talk and the more we weigh what others are saying, seeing things through their eyes – the wiser we’ll become.

So many of us want God to transform our lives; so few of us ever listen to Him. You may not be the fastest kid on the track. But listen, you can still win the race.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.