Think Before You Speak

Has this ever happened to you? Before your mind is in gear, your mouth is running? Me too! Look before you leap, think before you speak!

“The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (Proverbs 15:28, ESV).

In West Texas, by the late 1920’s the drills plunged into the earth with expectation more than hope. As the powerful bit chewed into the soil and tore the rocks and sand that lay beneath the surface, owners and foremen stood back and waited.

Sooner or later it would come. The drill would cut beyond the rock and dirt and plunge into the thick, rich crude oil and the next thing you knew, “black gold” would shoot into the air.

Then it would form an arch that fell back to the ground. “It’s a gusher!” the men would cry, and yet another fortune was assured on the windswept Texas plains.

The Wise Man of Proverbs uses a similar image to depict the words of one who thoughtlessly gushes out words without thinking. Can you imagine a person whose words are ill-considered and thoughtless, whose rash statements spew out without regard to other people’s feelings and reputations?

Can you see their black statements splattering indiscriminately on whomever was below? Such a man is contrasted with the one who “ponders,” or “weighs” his answers, thinking about the benefit they will bring, the healing they will cause.

This week, before you say something, think about it; because if you speak before thinking, you might have a “gusher” on your hands, and a gusher isn’t always a good thing!

–Stan Mitchell @ www.forthright.net