“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry… ” -James 1:19
If James were here and doing another edition of his letter to people figuring out what it means to follow Jesus in 2018, I think he’d add, “And sleep on it before you send that email.”
Since James isn’t here, I’ll say it. I say it because I do it. And I do it because I’ve screwed this up many times.
I pride myself in being level-headed and good with words. So I’ll spend an hour crafting an email that I think is great. In my mind, it’s articulate, not too defensive; detailed, but with an appropriate economy of words. Sometimes, I get to the end and I want to get it behind me. I want to move on to something else, something that will make me feel better. So I’m tempted to just click, “send.” But that would be a mistake.
Remember:
- everything comes across more direct and cold via email.
- you never know what kind of day the person is having when they read the email.
- humor, heart, and intention is often lost when you email.
So wait.
Sleep on it.
Even better, ask someone you trust to read emails before they go out. Have them read anything that is significant or contains anything negative or emotional that could be misunderstood.
Sleep on it.
Read it again in the morning. Does it still do what you want it to do? Is there any way you could have this conversation in person or on the phone instead of emailing? You’re not in that big of a hurry. Value the relationship over your need for speed and task-oriented validation. The person is worth it.