How Words Can Make You a Fool or a Fountain
Over the course of a single day, who do you speak to? Family members, friends, coworkers? A spouse or significant other? And what about the people you encounter briefly at the drive-thru window, the cashier register, and the check-in counter at the gym? Maybe you speak casually to the people sitting in bleachers, a church pew, or a waiting room near you? As a teacher, I spend a lot of time speaking to students each day. Perhaps you talk to students, clients, or businesspeople? While there are certainly some days when we don’t talk too much, over the course of a week or month, more often than not, you’ve probably spoken to a lot of different people. Maybe a lot of words, or maybe just a few.
How careful are you about the words you speak? In the midst of life’s ups and downs, it can be easy to be careless with our words sometimes. A harsh word here, an unkind tone of voice there. Our words can get us into trouble quite easily if you think about it. In my line of work, I am speaking to young people all day long, every day of the week. And while I certainly try to make sure my words are life-giving, it’s all too easy to let a slick comment slip out of my mouth every so often. Sometimes that happens when I’m in survival mode or frustrated from a previous situation, but no matter the cause, there’s no good excuse for no-good words.
I’ve been doing some reading in Proverbs recently, and there’s so much talk about the benefits and blessings of wisdom. (Another topic for another day, but you’ll see what I mean by just reading Proverbs 2.) While this book is known as a book of wisdom, I’m finding that godly wisdom isn’t just about storing up knowledge in my head. For example, when reading Proverbs 10, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see a repeated focus on spoken words. The words that come out of our mouths expose a lot about us.
Proverbs 10 says this about people who speak foolishly:
- A chattering fool comes to ruin. – v.8 and v.10
- The mouth of the wicked conceals violence. -v.11
- The mouth of a fool invites ruin. -v.14
- Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool. -v.18
- Sin is not ended by multiplying words. -v.19
- A perverse tongue will be silenced. -v.31
- The mouth of the wicked only [finds] what is perverse. -v.32
On the other hand, here’s what Proverbs 10 has to say about
- The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. -v.11
- Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning. -v.13
- The prudent hold their tongues. -v.19
- The tongue of the righteous is choice silver. -v.20
- The lips of the righteous nourish many. -v.21
- From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom. -v.31
- The lips of the righteous know what finds favor. -v.32
Wow! As I closed my Bible and moved on with my day after reading this chapter, I couldn’t stop thinking about just how important it is to carefully assess the words that come out of my mouth. Many more phrases and sentences about the words we speak can be found throughout the book of Proverbs and the entire Bible. God cares about what we say and how we say it. With that in mind, are you intentionally gatekeeping what comes out of your mouth? If not, you need to be.
Greetings, questions, answers to questions, prepared speeches and presentations, gossip, encouragement, conviction, teaching, natural conversation, jokes, confiding, judgment, vulnerable sharing, disagreements… Your words make up a significant part of your life. Are your words nourishing people? Are they filled with wisdom and discernment? Would the most recent person you talked to today say your mouth is like choice silver or a fountain of life? Or do you find yourself on the other side of the equation more often? Do you chatter too much? Do your words often include lies, slander and foolishness? Does your mouth invite ruin, whether of yourself or someone else?
Even the quick, one-off comments you make throughout the day fall into one category or the other. You’ve got to be careful about what slips out of your mouth. Your words matter. Don’t think that they don’t! If you haven’t been reminded of this truth lately, consider this your nudge. When you answer the phone and speak to the spam caller and when you talk to the waiter about your order that didn’t come out quite right, your words matter. When you have a conversation with your parent about a difficult subject and when you speak to that person who knows how to push your buttons, your words matter. When you advise your child or friend on how to handle a situation and when you engage in casual conversation with your bestie, your words matter.
Not only do your words matter, but they expose what’s in your heart. And if you’re still not convinced to be extra cautious about what comes out of your mouth, did you remember that Jesus said we’ll have to give an account for what we’ve spoken?
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” -Matthew 12:33-37
Would your words in the past hour acquit or condemn you? Resolve to speak life. Speak wisely, with discernment and kindness. Let your words nourish those around you, whether you know them well or not. May your mouth be a fountain of life! Your words matter. Be ever so careful about everything you say.