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PROGRAM D-6856
Did you know that, contrary to popular belief, exercise can be harmful? I want to share with you some common exercises that many of us practice very often, and they are extremely detrimental to your spiritual health.
For example, did you realize that jumping to conclusions is a very harmful exercise? Proverbs 13:3 says, “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” Speaking rashly is another way to describe jumping to conclusions.
One of my worst tendencies is to overreact and jump to conclusions much too quickly. I know I’m not the only one with that problem, but I think I have more trouble with it than most people. So, I have written in my prayer journal and often pray that God will keep me from overreacting—from jumping to conclusions. That means, I have to first of all be very careful about controlling my words.
Solomon told us that if we speak rashly and jump to conclusions as a way of life, we will come to ruin. In other words, you’re going to get yourself in one mess after another by jumping to conclusions. It’s not a good exercise. You often paint yourself into corners when you jump to conclusions. And I find you put yourself in embarrassing situations frequently.
Jumping to conclusions can cause you to do the wrong thing; act before you should. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.” This teaches us to withhold judgment and opinions until we’ve heard both sides of a story. In other words, we shouldn’t be gullible and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
I remember one particular incident where I came into the office on a very busy day to find a message that irritated me. With only partial information, I thought this other person was doing something way out of line, and I jumped to a conclusion quickly. I returned her call at once, thinking I was going to get things straightened out. Thankfully, she was not in and I didn’t get to speak with her at that time.
When she did return my call and explained the situation, I realized that the message had not been complete, and if I had talked with her earlier, I would have overreacted and probably hurt her feelings with rashly spoken words. I had, once again, jumped to a wrong conclusion; thankfully God protected me that time.
So, remember, jumping to conclusions is harmful to your health. Don’t do it!