Watch what you say.
“That person has no filter on their mouth.” Have you ever heard this about someone, yourself, or even said it regarding someone you know? I have all three.
I’ve heard someone describe another person in this way. My husband sometimes reminds me that I explain things a little more in detail than is needed. And, I used that quote in defining someone just the other day. In all three instances, it wasn’t mean spirited. When I said it about someone, I even told this person that he has no filter and to lease watch what he says. So I wasn’t saying something behind his back. (Whew, that’s a lesson I learned a long time ago. If I’m going to say something about someone, I either have already told them the same thing or would have no problem doing so. Again, the words I said were not in a mean spirited way. Life’s too short to be mean. It’s not worth it. Just be kindly honest.)
Well, in Proverbs 21:23 today it says (in FIVE different translations):
- “Watch your words and hold your tongue;
you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.” - “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,
and you will stay out of trouble.” - “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.” - “People who are careful about what they say will save themselves from trouble.”
- “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles.”
I showed it to you in five translations so you can either (1) choose the one that makes the most sense to you to memorize, (2) repeat God’s word over and over again to get it through your head and into your heart to watch what you say, or (3) for myself so I can remind myself of the filter needed in my own life.
Oh!! That just reminded me about a real life example that you can picture in your mind that I just witnessed yesterday. Okay, yesterday Tim went around replacing the air conditioner filters in our home. Yikes! They hadn’t been changed on the monthly basis that the “filter people” recommend. He would remove one, say some “Eww” comment, and show me the filters. Nasty! The air we’ve been breathing…yuck.
Oh oh! And that reminds me of just about every time I vacuum the house I show the water container to whomever is around, and before I disperse of its contents I say, “Can you believe this?! We have no carpet, only a few rugs. Look at this! Imagine those who do have carpet what they would vacuum up. Ewww.” Now, you must realize that I vacuum my non-carpeted home at least once a week if not twice sometimes.
Just like the filters on our air conditioner vents or on our vacuum cleaners reveal the filthy particles in places not necessarily seen by our human eyes, and may even stop those elements from going any further into our environment, so can a filter on our mouths.
I know you’ve heard the saying, “Think before you speak.” Well, that’s what Proverbs 21:23 is saying. Watch your words and hold your tongue. It will save you a lot of trouble.
Put a filter on it!
Blessings to you.
September 2,”Walking in the Word”