When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who
holds his tongue is wise. – Proverbs 10:19
With our mouths we can make life
good or render it nearly intolerable.
This particular proverb urges us to hold our tongue.
A careless word, a thoughtless
comment, an angry retort, a jealous jab – all come from the mouth.
Don’t we often just say what we
think? Don’t we often simply allow our
emotions and passions to control our tongues and inflict injury with our
words? To avoid causing so much injury,
we basically need to hold our tongues.
But does it do any good to try to manage our tongues by ourselves?
The best way to hold our tongues is
to admit we cannot do it ourselves, and to surrender them to the One who
can. Tongues that are on hold, in the
grip not of our determination but of divine love, are helpful, healing tongues,
held by God. The only way to hold our
tongue successfully is to let God hold it – and use it.
