If you are misunderstood then you are most likely to be misjudged. The common belief is that whatever comes out of a person's mouth is what they meant to say. Speaking from personal experience I can say, not in all situations.
It's probably best to have someone explain what they meant if something was said that does not sit right. For some, there are challenges with speaking, being nervous around others and getting tongue tied among other factors. If it's someone we're familiar with, it may be easier to tell what they mean but even then, it's best to clarify.
My phone was ringing one day while I was at home and I could not get to it quick enough. I ended up missing the call. I returned the call a few minutes later and clearly remember saying to the receptionist at the other end of the line, "I'm returning a call to this number. My phone rang but I didn't pick it up." To her that must have sounded as if I saw that she was calling but chose not to answer. Why those words came out of my mouth I still cannot understand because that was not what happened. I was in my bathroom and my phone was in the living room. What was going on in my brain that would produce that response?
In another case I read something someone wrote and noticed that when I had read my bible earlier it was about the same topic. I also listened to daily devotions that morning and the very topic was being discussed. I commented on the article and the words I wrote caused the person who wrote it to think that I was saying they were repetitive in their writing. That was so not what I wanted to say but that's how they understood it. In as few words as possible I just wanted to say that everything I read and listened to that morning was about the same thing.
Misconception can lead to a lot of problems. Let us be mindful of when we have misspoken or was misunderstood so as not to jump to conclusions.
