An old song from the sixties says, “You Talk too Much” and that certainly describes a lot of folks. Several politicians have lost elections because they couldn’t keep their mouth shut. They kept talking until eventually they said something stupid and it was used against them. However, it’s not just a matter of talking too much, it’s also a matter of what we say.
He is a wise man who thinks before he speaks. Proverbs 29:13 says, “A fool uttereth all his mind“, and there are more than a few who do that. But a wise man knows better. He knows that just because you are thinking it that doesn’t give you the right to say it. “Think before you speak” is still good advice. Don’t you wish we had learned that sooner? Weigh your words before you speak and you just might talk a lot less.
You don’t have to give your opinion on every subject under discussion, or respond to every criticism leveled against you, or correct every mistake you see, or condemn every sin, or rail against every injustice, or complain about every problem, or dispute every question, or repeat every tale, or gripe about every grief, or brag about every accomplishment. Many things are better left unspoken! Knowing what to leave out is sometimes more important than knowing what to say. I come to believe, when in doubt don’t. What you say might be true and even eloquently spoken, but if it doesn’t edify eliminate it. Don’t risk ruining the effect of all the good things said by interjecting something better left unspoken. Think about it!
