“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.”
You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Even a fish wouldn’t get in trouble if it kept its mouth shut.” Cute, but it does make the point Solomon does in this verse. Jesus’ half-brother James also makes this point when he advises us to “be quick to listen and slow to speak.” Because it’s a political season, I have seen a lot of clips of politicians saying things—many are normal verbal fumbles we’re all prone to at times—that they regret or at least wish they could take back and correct. Some of the funniest examples have been preachers. Early in the start of his church in our area, a good friend was leading a worship song with the line, “Let angels prostrate fall.” On the screen, it had been misspelled and was sung by the congregation as “Let angels prostate fall.” If you don’t know the difference, that’s okay. On a more serious note, there are times when we can be prone to believe that everyone really needs to hear our opinion. Social media is famous for drawing foolish comments out of people. The delete function can be helpful, but the hurt, misinformation, or just silliness may already have done its damage. Today, guard each word that comes from your mouth. #BeTheEdge
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19 NIV
