The Unasked Question

“Never answer a question that hasn’t been asked.”

I received that nugget of wisdom a couple of months ago.

Some believe it is their lot in life to straighten everyone else out.

News Bulletin: It isn’t.

The last time I checked (five seconds ago), there was only one Jesus Christ. And He has it under control.

One time, I overheard a conversation, and here’s how it progressed:

“Hey! You ought to do such and such and complete so and so and do this or that.” This person seemed to be the commander in chief of the other person’s life. But they weren’t, as I soon found out.

“Did I ask?” The other person queried.

“Uh, well, no.”

“Then why did you feel the need to insert your nose into my business?”

“It was just a suggestion.”

“No, thank you.”

The two had gotten along so well that he thought the other person would appreciate his unsolicited input.

But it wasn’t well-received. And rightly so, in my humble opinion. (But you know what they say about opinions. They need to be covered up with an antiperspirant…if you know what I mean.)

Just because we’ve gotten comfortable around someone doesn’t mean we can spew forth our odorous opinions willie-nilly.

(I want to be clear: I am not talking about receiving a word of wisdom from an elder. Some aged men or women can be our counselors and advisors. There have been times I’ve needed an answer, and God laid it on someone’s heart to bring up the topic in a conversation. And it was a blessing. But every single time that has happened, it was from someone who didn’t offer advice very often.)

But some think they are God’s gift to mankind, and they’ve thought that since they were three years old. Or whenever they started to talk.

There isn’t an off switch. They deliver their opinions without regard to anyone or anything. They never learned the valuable lesson of biting one’s tongue.

And if they aren’t telling you what they think of you and what you ought to do, you can be sure they are telling their opinions of you to someone else.

I could go on, but I’ve probably said too much already. 🫢

“Never answer a question that hasn’t been asked.”

to the endlessly opinionated (no one who reads this though),
– Caleb