Proverbs 13.2-3
“From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”
Sometimes we simply lack the wisdom and discipline to sit still and keep our mouth shut. Something gets our attention, triggers an impulsive reaction, and we express our opinion without really thinking. We experience an emotional rush because we declare how we feel.
In the online world, our emotional declaration can be rewarded with likes, clicks, follows, and retweets. But that can be false validation, because the likes, clicks, follows, and retweets are usually from other emotionally impulsive people.
Here’s the reality: Having an opinion and having credibility are not the same thing. Just because you feel strongly about something doesn’t validate your opinion. Strong emotion is not an indicator of a worthy opinion.
Beware of getting caught in the gravitational pull of impulsive emotion. Emotionally impulsive declarations are terribly divisive and do enormous damage to people, relationships, families, teams, companies, and entire communities.
Whenever we act without verbal discipline, it is a failure to be humble before the God who redeemed us, calls us to himself, and sends us into the world as his ambassadors. It is imperative, therefore, that we take control of our speech and communication habits.
Be informed or be quiet.
The more subtle message is about motive. The wise person wants to produce good things, and therefore speaks in an effective and helpful way. But the motive and desire of the “treacherous” person is “violence.” They say things with the intent of inflicting harm, doing damage, and hurting people.
Look no further than much of what you hear and read in various social media platforms. It is the same toxic gossip that is spoken at the water cooler or the coffee shop or the backyard fence, but because of technology it gets a highly amplified distribution and thereby quickly reaches a wider audience and does more damage.
The advice that Solomon gives is simple, but not easy. Talking (or tweeting) too much leads to problems; therefore,“Guard your mouth.” Be discerning and disciplined. Don’t give in to verbal or emotional impulse. Before you speak or hit send, press pause and think. Restrain yourself.
Foolish people are reckless in the way they speak. Wise people understand the power of their words and carefully choose what they say.
Coram Deo
