Have you ever had to explain something to someone who is having a hard time understanding your clarification? Well if you have, you know just how frustrating the situation can be. Sometimes we choose the wrong words, use the wrong gestures, or are simply trying to explain something in technical terms the listener is not familiar with. When I run into this predicament, I often think about how Moses felt when he told Pharaoh how important it was to follow God’s will and let the Israelites leave Egypt. Moses somehow kept his cool every time Pharaoh failed to understand what was being demanded of him.
My goal, when having a hard time conveying information to others, is to thoroughly describe what I need to relay without talking down to the person who I am providing with needed information. Some people understand more quickly than others. And some people may even become upset at their inability to grasp something another person is trying to teach them. My past algebra teachers can attest to my lack of self-control when I couldn’t understand new formulas they tried to introduce into my algebra-deficient brain. Almost every human being has some form of education that has been a struggle to comprehend or master.
Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is his glory to overlook an offense.” We should be ready to forgive ourselves when we fall short of our expectations, and we must definitely do the same when others suffer the same weakness. So when we explain something to others who fail to understand what we are trying to convey, think back to a time when the roles were reversed or remember how Moses kept his cool every time Pharaoh failed to grasp the will of God, even after each plague God sent should have made things crystal clear. Oh, and on that note, maybe God is hardening the heart of the person you are sharing information with just to test your patience and wisdom.
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