Brevity

Brevity  is defined as exact and concise use of words or speech;  shortness. 

Southerners are noted for the way we talk, the way we weave a story, the way we love and hug, our cooking, and our hospitality just to name a few characteristics.  When you are from a small town, you learn to be patient when people stop you on the street just to say a quick “hi” and thirty minutes later you leave.  I’m a talker, so I actually love that about our heritage.  I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard, “to make a long story short” in my life because when people preface the conversation with that, make yourself comfortable.

In today’s world, people don’t have time to stop and visit. They want everything presented to them in the briefest possible way whether it be a story, a presentation, a speech, or a conversation.  Texting has taken the place of an actual phone conversation because one can make it very brief.

There are times where brevity is important.  When you teach kindergarten, you learn that a child’s attention span lies somewhere between that of a gnat and a fly, so you must adapt lessons that include brevity without sacrificing content.

Meetings are another place where brevity is necessary.  I hate the ones that go on and on especially when you are told things over and over that you heard the first time.  Interestingly, studies reveal that the maximum attention span for most of us is no longer than twenty minutes, and that doesn’t take into account the persons affected with ADHD!!  After this point, people zone out and don’t retain much, if any at all, of things they just heard.

I wonder how Jesus would feel about today’s world?  As I recall, He loved to spin parables, visit with the tax collectors in their homes, stop to heal, touch those who needed reassurance, and take time to explain His kingdom.  He would never replace the human connection with other forms of communication.  It can’t be replaced.

Jesus could tell a parable in as many as fifteen verses or as few as one, yet he held His followers spellbound and following him to hear more.  He gave the truth with brevity, packed with a lesson, while delivering it in a warm, compassionate way.

Most of us Southerners have the gift of listening, asking pertinent questions while showing love and concern during a conversation.  I think Jesus loves the way we focus on building others up, trying to leave people better than when we met, and doing the right thing even when no one is looking.  Brevity has its place, but so do people who are the hands, feet, ears, lips, and voice of Christ.

What is the Kingdom of God like?  To what shall I compare it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and planted in his own garden.  It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.                   Luke 13:18-19