“He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame.” (Proverbs 18:13)
Welcome back to Fool Week. You were wise to come.
Here’s another fool we can all relate to. This one has no obstacles standing between his mind and his mouth. If he thinks it, it just comes roaring out. Apparently, those obstacles have been moved over to between his ears and his brain, because whatever you’re saying to him isn’t getting through.
This person—and we’ve likely all been him once or twice or more—is entertaining to watch sometimes, but he’s humiliating to be. His biggest problem is that in the heat of the moment, he loses his fear of revealing his ignorance. He’s convinced what he has to say is vastly more important than whatever it was you just told him.
Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” And the heart of the foolish is full of only themselves.
Think: Do you ever catch your mouth getting ahead of your ears? What could you do to make sure your ears win that race more often?
Pray: Ask God to help you to have the wisdom to listen before answering.
Do: Think about memorizing this wisdom verse: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)