“He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.”( Proverbs 21:23)
The principle taught in this verse is one of the most empirically obvious in God’s creation, but most of us still need remedial classes to learn the lesson. We can keep our souls from trouble, the trouble that comes from others tormenting us for hurting them, or from the nagging guilt from saying dumb things, only if we actively guard our mouths.
Here are some commonsense suggestion that can change our life;
- Every morning, ask God for wisdom about our words.
- Before any significant conversation, take a minute to define our goals. Also, identify any topics or issues to avoid or treat diplomatically.
- Watch out for any temptation to use sarcasm to get a laugh.
- In conversation, be aware that words can kill or cure. If we feel the emotion rising, take a deep breath and don’t let our words fly.
- From time to time, give our self a progress report on how well we’re guarding our mouth.
For all of us, learning a new skill takes time and effort. And for some of us, the learning curve for guarding our words is really steep. Still, the peace of mind and joy of a relationship are worth the effort.
