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I’ve learned, and I keep learning, to keep my mouth shut. Not everyone needs to hear what I think; sometimes I don’t even need to listen to what I think. My thoughts can swing from one extreme to another from moment to moment.

Before acquiring a bit of wisdom (this is a fancy way of saying when I was young and inexperienced), I didn’t think much about the importance of my words. I was quick to give my opinion. And I was quick to say what I thought could be done better. I was also quick to form an opinion. I didn’t think about the ripple effect my words would have on my life.

We can’t take them back

There’s much to be said for (pun intended) keeping our mouths shut. When words have been spoken, it’s impossible to “take them back.” As children, we would play games or tease one another, and when something was said that went too far and merited tattling, we would cry, “I take it back!”

We can’t take back what we’ve said in the real world.

"In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise."
Proverbs 10:19 NKJV

But I’m right

“But I’m right!” you might think. Being right doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be said. I know that I’ve wanted to prove my rightness many times. But I’ve learned I don’t have to say I’m right every time.

Insisting that I’m right, as I’ve come to find out, can quickly escalate into an argument. And, as my mother used to say, “If you’re going to argue, make sure it’s something worth arguing over.” In the long run, there’s not much worth arguing over with our loved ones, or anyone else, for that matter.

God uses it all, even when we don’t keep our mouths shut

Jacob’s son, Joseph, was a young man who had dreams. You can read an account of his dreams in Genesis 37. He had 11 siblings and was his father’s obvious favorite. Jacob felt it was necessary to tell his brothers and father about his dreams. This might have been an innocent enough account if the dream had been about food or games. But Joseph’s dreams were about his brothers and parents bowing to him. His brothers already had a problem with him because his father favored him. Telling them about these dreams stirred their animosity towards him.

The brothers were so fed up with Joseph’s apparent boasting that they devised a plan to get rid of him. They sold him as a slave to traders traveling to Egypt. I wonder if, had Joseph kept his mouth shut, the unfolding of his story would have been different. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, God used the situation for His purposes. However, God uses all our good and bad decisions for His good.

Nowadays, I keep my mouth shut

What kinds of grief can we avoid if we can learn to keep our mouths shut? Maybe we would get to God’s purpose quickly rather than the long way around, like the nation of Israel.

When Israel was in the wilderness, traveling to the Promised Land after leaving Egypt, they had a problem with their collective mouth. Their litany of complaints led to their wandering in the wilderness for 40 years instead of entering it directly after leaving Egypt (see Joshua 5). Had they kept their mouths shut, they could have entered the land sooner instead of wandering around homeless for 40 years.

I’m not taking the thought and saying it so quickly anymore, as I’m certain that, in the past, my words have been my own undoing. Nowadays, I keep my mouth shut.

"Dear brothers, don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry;"
James 1:19 TLB