Discretion

The. LORD has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will (Isaiah 50:4, NLT)

One of the things that I have been learning is that just as important as having God’s words of wisdom is knowing what aren’t His words. In other words, having the discretion to know what not to say is an important part of bringing and giving comfort to the weary.
I find myself praying for discretion a lot. One of the reasons for this is that it helps me to listen more. Too often when someone is speaking we are not really listening so much as waiting for a place to break in so we can talk. Another reason I pray for discretion is so that I do not let my feelings or opinions govern my response. So often we miss what a person is saying because we are paying more attention to our own preferences, prejudices, and points than to the person who is speaking to us.
It is a great gift to just listen, to just let a person vent without having to interject at every point where we think they are wrong or over reacting or missing something. Not only that but showing discretion helps keep me from doing the same! As  Proverbs 11:12 (NIV) says, Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.