Be Still And Know

Proverbs 26:20 'Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.' I wonder what the writer of Proverbs would have made of social media! His words couldn’t be more relevant to today’s world, in which gossip can be communicated faster than lightning. Words have always had the power to destroy and many of the Proverbs focus on the danger of them being used carelessly. The trouble with words is that we all use so many of them; it is the easiest thing in the world for them to cause hurt, pain and division. Proverbs 17:27 reads: “A truly wise person uses few words.” I’m really grateful for that observation but, if I’m honest, I’m not sure what to do with it. I spend my days writing, mentoring, pastoring, preaching and teaching people. Words are fundamental to the way in which we communicate and although I could possibly use fewer words sometimes, I still need to use a large number of them! The writer of the Proverbs is concerned that we use our words to build up and not to destroy. Building