Mark Twain said, “It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” Twain’s statement is funny because we all know people (and are people) who habitually say things we shouldn’t. I don’t know about you—but I can’t count the number of times I’ve let a string of poorly chosen words fly out of my mouth and felt remorse as soon as they were spoken. When it comes to character and spiritual maturity, nothing tells on us more than our speech. Solomon wrote:
“Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult” (Prov. 12:16).
Some people wake up every morning with their tempers slightly under a boiling point, and therefore it doesn’t take much to send them over the edge. Don’t believe me? Think about the prevalence of road rage. Scores of people are so easily offended that if they don’t like the way someone is driving, it’s common to shout obscenities, flip off another driver, or behave erratically in traffic. How absurd is that? If we’re going to be people who are intentional about our speech—we’ll have to go against the grain—because most people allow their mouths to run wild.
Solomon pointed out that only a fool lacks restraint and is quick to retaliate when confronted with a real or imagined insult. A short-temper and poorly chosen words escalate conflict in situations that could’ve easily been avoided. In contrast, a wise person shrugs it off, overlooks an offense, and perhaps even responds kindly. A wise person can avoid trouble because she is patient and not easily offended. She knows she doesn’t have to say everything she thinks. Proverbs 14:29 says, “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.” A quick-tempered person might think she is defending her dignity, but her lack of self-control puts her foolishness on display for the world to see.
Our words have the potential to do enormous damage or significant good. Fools with unrestrained speech hurt others with no regard to potential consequences. A wise person chooses her words carefully. She knows that once words are spoken, they can be apologized for, but they can’t be erased. I’ll leave you with a couple of questions to think about:
Thought to ponder:
- Generally speaking, do your words bring healing or harm?
- Are you quick to anger and easily offended, or are you able to let things go?
