Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Tact

There's a difference when out of tacfulness we don't say certain things, and out of whatever reasons we don't say anything that we should say for ourselves, or for the good of others.

I think I need to stop being a mouse.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I honestly feel that tact is also a gift from God. Not everyone has it, and those who have it, use it too little - or too much.

Sometimes it's not tact we lack. It's boldness in the face of man's rejection...

Giraffe Pen said...

Tact, perception. Sounds very psychological! I think these things come with age and wisdom... To perceive things better, all you need to is be careful in observing people, noting how they respond to things, what they talk about, their verbal and body language, etc. Actions always speak louder than words!

Anonymous said...

opps. you know i was kidding, right? hmm, i didnt know you regard yourself as the mouse, though i do admit i can be that lion in sheep's clothing. lols

Anonymous said...

Hadyn: Some of the oldest people I know have the least tact. Not that they're not wise, they just think that as they grow older, there's less need for them to earn respect, and just be respected.

Body language is important, but knowing the background of the situation is just as important... even right now, we're shooting in the dark, and could be doing more harm then good posting these comments for GB! Then how you choose to speak your words, what you choose to say - whether prompted by the Holy Spirit or not - would then matter quite a bit. (otherwise known as tact)

Ting, in response, what if you feel urged (not by the Holy Spirit) to scold and swear? How can you tell when the Holy Spirit is urging or not?

GB - it's something we all struggle with, to speak God's word from the Bible with clarity and at the right times.

Giraffe Pen said...

Hey Hamster,

Just to clarify, in my earlier comments I wasn't trying to generalise by saying that every senior citizen has the gifts of tact and observation but that these are things that are most likely to develop with age and wisdom. It's an entirely different thing.

As for talking about the issues of tact and perceptiveness, it's not a bad thing to recommend how to do it. About a year ago I started to train myself in reading other people, trying to see things from their position, and learning to respond appropriately. These aren't things that people can really tell you how to do- it often comes with experience and maturity. But once you know how to do it it can be used quite effectively. I try to do that in my writing (http://www.biblethoughts.blogspot). We need to encourage GB in his quest for these really important gifts.

- H.

PS- Although the Holy Spirit can bestow these gifts to people, Christians aren't exclusively the only ones who have the gift of tact and observation. We ought to pray for them and ask God to bless us with them, but I don't think they need to be bestow directly from the Holy Spirit in order to have them.

Anonymous said...

hm...
tact is something u pick up along the way in ur life
n tact is something applied with differently to diff situations...
sometimes being tactless is being tactful too u know...
hahaha

p.s. be careful of the CAT...
hahahha

meow

Anonymous said...

Hadyn: Point taken. One of my biggest problems is that I jump to conclusions. But for the sake of all, glad that U clarified ;)

still, I realise that tact isn't something that can be learnt at times. I take this not from the Bible, but from the fact that some people just don't manage to catch the small signs that form body language despite being taught about it many times over. That's why I call it a gift as well - some of us can learn it, some of us have it innately, some of us don't have the gift and so contribute in other ways to the body of Christ. And of course, some learn it so they can be better than others... *shudder*