Hammer on Anvil '

Have you ever noticed how much advice is given on speech? Recently I came across the Spanish phrase, un pez por su boca muere. (A fish dies by its mouth). I had never really thought about it, but how true. Well, unless you were to use a net, spear gun, or dynamite, but that’s beside the point. As a child, I received similar advice (just not in Spanish): “know when to keep your mouth shut.”

Last week I was fascinated by the long history and use of salt. Especially when I considered the phrase “seasoned with salt” in Colossians 4:6. I could get stuck wondering about possible meanings, but then I’d miss something. This isn’t the only place in the Bible to talk about speech, so now I ask: Why this emphasis on our words to begin with?

Both in the Bible and out, there is advice and instruction on how we should speak or not speak. It is important because our words are an indication of what is inside our hearts. Jesus said: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

I have failed, at times, to heed the advice given me (to keep my mouth shut) and for that, there are moments I wish I could take back. A sarcastic remark, a joke more cruel than intended, an email that was meant to wound. With this is in mind I encourage you and remind myself: let us consider our words (spoken, written, or typed) and let them be those we need not be ashamed of and are reflective of a heart that belongs to God. And if you’re not convinced, I leave you with the words of Mark Twain: “It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”