HOLD YOUR TONGUE

Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,

 but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.     

                                                                                                     Proverbs 11:12

    With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father,       

 and with it we curse human beings,

 who have been made in God’s likeness.  

                                                                      James 3:9

Whoever would love life and see good days

must keep their tongue from evil

and their lips from deceitful speech.

                                                             1 Peter 3:10

         When I was in college, we took methods courses, classes designed to help us learn what to teach and how to teach it. I was a music major and my first course covered classroom music for grades K-3. Our teacher, Dr. Virginia Austin, took us on our first field trip to a nearby elementary school in North Philadelphia. We visited a first-grade class. This was not a music class, which surprised us all. We sat for about a half hour or so before the children were dismissed for lunch. The lesson here was obviously classroom management. Someone asked the teacher what her secret was for having such eager, yet very well-behaved students. She replied that it was “economy of language.” She told us not to say in 25 words what you can say with three. That advice guided me through many years of teaching.

           I recently read a quote from Archimedes: “An expert on speaking also knows when not to do so.” We’ve all been subjected to a lot of rhetoric. It seems not a day goes by that we don’t hear some political diatribe or news of a prolonged argument, whether it be on the street or from a podium. To tell the truth, during political campaigns, I tend not to turn on the debate and opt for the bits and pieces, sound bites produced on news broadcasts the next day. Talk shows!  Once they start talking over each other, I tend to change the channel.

           Then I wonder, do I say more than is necessary? Do I think carefully about what comes out of my mouth before I say it? Do I spend so much time thinking about my next comment that I fail to listen to the person speaking to me? Do I blurt out the first thought in my head, allow emotion to crowd out reason, then wish I hadn’t said it? How many careless comments have hurt someone else? OUCH!

           The Bible has plenty to say to me about how I speak and how my tongue can get me into trouble if I’m not careful. The verses above are just a few of them. My Dad quite often told me to hold my tongue. He had a point!

Heavenly Father, teach us the patience and discipline to listen more than, we speak. When we do speak, help us to use our words thoughtfully. Help us always to remember that what we say and what we do is our witness to the world. Guide us in Christ’s name, in whom we pray. Amen.

                                                                                                            Sue Uzelmeier