“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)
Last week, James’ warned us about the weapons of mass destruction we carry around behind our teeth. More specifically, he warned us that because we carry sinful hearts behind our ribs we can expect the words that bubble up from there to be powerfully destructive, as well.
No wonder James told us to be “slow to speak.” Solomon said the same thing here: Want to sin less? Then talk less. Or text less. Or Facebook less. Often, the quiet girl in the back is the wisest person in the room. She knows better than to fill up the air with words just because the quiet feels awkward.
Some of the best advice I’ve ever heard: If you don’t know what to say, don’t. When you’re not sure if you should say what you’re thinking, don’t. If you wonder if what you’re about to say might be hurtful to someone, stop. We can never unsay something, but we can usually say what needs saying after we take time to think about it.
Think: Is there anything you wish you could unsay from this last week? Anything you wish you would have said that you didn’t? Which happens more often?
Pray: Ask God to set off a warning alarm in your head any time you’re about to say something sinful.
Do: Plan a whole two-hour block sometime this week when you don’t say, write, or text any words to anyone. No fair sleeping.