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Proverbs 13:3

“The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life; The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.” AMP‬‬

One of the “worldly wisdoms” I used to hear a lot when I was growing up was something like this:

“Well, if you’re thinking it, you might as well say it. Speak your mind.”

It sounded good at the time. And it justified my saying whatever I wanted to say…right, wrong or indifferent. But what this “worldly wisdom” didn’t take into consideration were the consequences of our words. And sometimes the consequences can be disastrous.

I am reminded of a young woman who walked into the break room at work and found some co-workers gossiping about their boss. She didn’t say anything at first; she just listened. Then one of her co-workers started complaining about how the department was being run. That’s when the young woman decided to speak her mind and add to the conversation.

Well, about a month later she was sitting in her boss’s office for her performance evaluation. She noticed that her boss didn’t smile and looked very serious. Her boss pointed out several areas of improvement that weren’t issues in previous evaluations. And at the end of the evaluation her boss told her sternly:

“Look, let me make something clear to you. If you have an issue with how I run this department, you come to me. Don’t go complaining to other employees and cause discontent in my department. I won’t tolerate it. You’ve been warned!”

What the young woman didn’t know was that while she was “speaking her mind” at the break room gossip session the previous month, her boss just happened to walk by and overheard her complaining. Her boss didn’t hear the previous comments, just those made by the young woman.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”

This young woman may have spoken “death” to her aspirations for a promotion under her current superior…without even knowing it.

Do you often find yourself speaking without thinking? Are you currently dealing with the negative consequences of your words? Have you recently spoke “death” into a relationship, or child’s self esteem? Have you “ruined” opportunities for yourself by your “mindless chatter”?

Guard your mouth daily. Be wise and take a moment to ask the Lord for wisdom, even in the midst of a conversation (Nehemiah 2:4-5). Remember, words can bite…not only others, but yourself as well.