Idle Words

Be very wary of advice givers.

Interestingly, I have yet to find a wise person who freely gives advice. I think this is because wise people know how easy advice can be given and used to distract and deflect us from hard conversations based in reality and truth, and given in real relationships.

It seems that advice is cheap because it requires nothing. It doesn’t even require the advice giver to prove that they have taken their own advice.

On the other hand, just being in relationship with a wise person who never gives advice is life changing because we are seeing the way truth is actually communicated through everyday life and speaks into each and every ordinary moment.

I am beginning to think that when Jesus talks about idle words. He was not only talking about advice, opinions, consumer commentary and our political diatribes, but he was talking about every word that comes out of our mouths that has no real relationship to land in.

You know, words like these that I am writing that we just speak into the universe without taking the time, effort and energy to build real relationships into which we can receive and give ourselves.

I have been thinking a lot about idle words lately and how we have reduced them to “bad words” but forgotten that even “nice” words spoken to manipulate or control people are also idle words because they are used as a means to secure our idols of comfort, security, power and status, and even sustain our false-selves.

Perhaps, this is what the wise people know and why they don’t give advice. Maybe…that’s why they only share their experience, strength and hope, and why they simply encourage others with the encouragement they have been encouraged by. And, they do all of this in personal relationships.

Makes you think-right? Sure does make me think about why even my best advice are idle words when they are not given and received in relationships that are built on truth and love.