Speak Face to Face

My Bible reading last week included the third book of John.  3 John 13-14 says, "I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face."  There is so much wisdom in these few words.  

It is so easy to send a text or email, to tweet or post on social media.  But those words can come back to haunt us.  Whether they are written in seriousness or jest, in anger or sarcasm, they are out there.  Last weekend's Heisman trophy winner spent part of his celebration time apologizing for something he tweeted as a teen.

Writing with pen and ink cannot compare to speaking face to face.  Body language, voice inflection, and so much more is lost on paper or screen.  The "conversation" is one way, with no way to respond, defend or diffuse.

I remember getting an anonymous comment several years ago.  It was rather lengthy and I felt so hurt and attacked.  I didn't know how to interpret all that was written.  I had no context.  Who was this person who seemed to be so angry with me?  I only knew it was a woman because of some of the things she wrote.  Was my blog that offensive to her?  Those are questions I will never have answers to.

I also remember something that happened during choir practice a few years ago.  Someone a few people away from me thought they heard me say something.  They came directly to me after practice, very upset.  I explained what I actually had said and we were able to talk face to face and get it resolved.  I appreciate the courage it took for them to come directly to me.

It's easy to send a text message, but not so easy to clean up the mess that may follow.  It's easy to hide behind a keyboard, but the wise Apostle John knew that speaking face to face was the higher road.