I bet you didn’t know you deal in gold every day. My husband was quite aware of it, which I appreciated. In fact, he did a lot of research on his favorite type of gold, and he would have agreed with the following description.
Picture this: A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11 NKJV). How would you like to have that setting on your dining room table? Or anywhere else in your home?
I’m glad the important factor there is NOT the silver or gold, but “the right word at the right time,” as so aptly described in The Message Bible.
How many words do you think you say per day? I’m not a big talker and yet I’m sure my daily quota would really surprise me. The better question might be “How many words do I thoughtfully speak each day?”
Whether I’m writing or speaking, I do believe words have value. I’d like to be known for positive words, such as those expressed in Psalm 37:30 NIV: The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just.
Some people speak with words of steel. Words that are spoken carelessly and cause a lot of damage. They might be words of bitterness, anger, or jealousy, for example. Steel is strong and does much good when used correctly, but harsh negative words usually build better walls than bridges.
Now let’s examine the other kind of gold. There could not be more of a contrast than that of Ecclesiastes 3:7b NKJV: A time to keep silence and a time to speak. That goes along with the old saying, “Silence is golden.” Yes, it can be, but timing is everything.
If someone is trying to communicate with you and you are stonewalling them to avoid an issue, silence is not golden.
On the other hand, if you’d really like to fly off the handle and spew out destructive words but you contain yourself and remain silent, you’ve probably just produced a very high quality of gold.
So, how much gold will you produce this week? Whether silent or spoken, both have value.
Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash
So true!! Great reminder!
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