Before You Hit Send
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? These are all crucial questions that we must ask ourselves before we hit send! In this final message of the series, we are going to consider the last crucial question—“Is it clear?” Dr. Eggerichs writes, “We need to be clear in our own minds as to where we are headed in what we are saying; otherwise, those on the receiving end will be more confused. As pastors, we say, ‘If there is a mist in the pulpit, there’s a fog in the pew.’”
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? These are all crucial questions that we must ask ourselves before we hit send!
“People hear your words of truth, but the feel your words of kindness… I am defining kindness as being a loving and respectful person” (Before You Hit Send page 63). Our first concern in communicating with others is to be truthful; but when you communicate truth without love and respect, you are not communicating at all because people will not listen to someone who is disrespectful and rude. In this message, we will look at several motivations for communicating with kindness.
Over the next four weeks, we are going to look at some biblical principles of communication. Of course, it is important to think through “all the possible consequences of your tweet, email, or Facebook post before hitting ‘send,’ [but] the true maxim the title represents is ‘Think before you speak.’” In his book, “Before You Hit Send,” Dr. Emerson Eggerichs suggests that we should ask four important questions before we choose to communicate with others.
1. Is it true?
2. Is it kind?
3. Is it necessary?
4. Is it clear?