Tact Is the Art of Making a Point Without Making an Enemy



In looking over a cafe menu, a woman noticed that both a chicken salad sandwich and a chicken sandwich were listed.  She decided to order the chicken salad sandwich, but absentmindedly wrote "chicken sandwich" on her order slip.  When the waiter brought the chicken sandwich, she protested immediately, insisting the waiter had erred.

Most waiters would have picked up the order slip and shown the customer the mistake she had made.  But instead he expressed regret at the error, picked up the sandwich, returned to the kitchen, and a moment later placed a chicken salad sandwich in front of the woman. 

While eating her sandwich, the woman picked up her order slip and noticed the mistake she had made.  When it was time to pay for the meal, she apologized to the waiter and offered to pay for both sandwiches.  The waiter said, "No, Ma'am.  That's perfectly all right.  I'm just happy you've forgiven me for being right."

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 12:18

People With Tact Have Less to Retract



Birds sing...and never have to apologize for their songs.

Dogs bark and kittens meow...and never have to say, "I'm sorry for what I just said."

Lions roar and hyenas howl...but they never have to retract their statements as being untrue.

The fact is, the members of the animal kingdom are themselves, and they are true in their expression to what they were created to be.

Many times we human beings find ourselves embarrassed at our own words--feeling apologetic, caught in an awkward moment, or recognizing we have spoken the wrong words at the wrong time--because we have begun evaluating the performance of others and develop a critical attitude.

The bluejay doesn't criticize the robin.  The kitten doesn't make snide remarks about the puppy.  The lion doesn't ridicule the hyena.  In like manner, we should not put down others whom we can never fully understand, never fully appreciate, or never fully emulate.

Stick to singing your own song today and appreciate the uniqueness of those around you.  You will easily avoid putting your foot in your mouth!

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.



Proverbs 15:28